


Dan's Inferno

by themidgardiansongstress



Series: 6901: A Grumpy Space Odyssey [3]
Category: Game Grumps, Space Grumps AU - Fandom
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien Flora & Fauna, Body Horror, F/M, M/M, Multi, Non-Consensual Gorging, Non-Consensual Stuffing, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-25 23:31:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 21,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12046581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themidgardiansongstress/pseuds/themidgardiansongstress
Summary: Demons, as can be expected from the title. Rated Mature for alien/fantasy gore.





	1. Prologue: Fear Finds You

The small Timoric flew among the stars, unhindered by a need for oxygen. 

Now began its’ search. It traveled for what would have been an unbearable amount of time, but Timorics have no concept of time either.

Fear waits for no man.

All at once, the small creature spotted a planet that glowed with a golden yellow light. It realized that this was the Yellow Goddess of Creation-the shard. It was the next destination for the Daughter, and that meant that the Vessel was not far behind.

The Timoric settled down on Aviara, making its’ way to a cave where it could await for the Vessel’s arrival. It would come.

Fear would always find the Vessel.


	2. The Illusion Of Power, The Thrill Of Control

The first time the Bombers saw the bite marks along Ultimas’ skin, they were initially worried for her-given her history with laceration neck injuries.

 But, upon seeing her dazed and satisfied expression, coupled with Arin’s proud but caring demeanor, they knew exactly what had transpired between Ultima’s sheets.

—

After the second time they knew each other, Ultima decided to voice something that had been on her mind for a few days to Arin.

“It’s interesting.” Ultima mused, resting her head on his chest.

“What?” Arin asked, rubbing her shoulders.

“I’m pretty good at reading people-their habits, their personality, that kind of thing. I didn’t have you pegged for being this gentle in bed.”

Arin smiled in relief, kissing her forehead. “I want to be like this for you. I want you to get used to what this feels like with me.”

“I can tell there’s some…restraint, in how you act.” She looked up at him, resting a hand on the spiral tattoo on his neck, tracing it absentmindedly. “And I appreciate you easing me into this, but…I don’t know. I just expected something different. This isn’t bad or anything, just unexpected.”

Arin grinned, knocking on the wall above Ultima’s bed. “Barry, I need my supplies. You know what for.” He looked back down at Ultima, lust glinting in his eyes.

“What are you gonna do?” She asked, squinting at him.

“I’m gonna make you feel so goddamn good.” He whispered, kissing her neck. “Just relax, trust me, and do everything I tell you to…” He growled into Ultima’s ear, sending a new shudder through her. “And you’ll be just fine.” He finished with a slow, tantalizing bite, grazing his teeth across her neck as she moaned softly.

—

Ultima exhaled heavily, staring up at the ceiling as Arin finished undoing the last of the knots “How are you doing?” Arin asked, placing his hand on her cheek and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“I-I’m not sure. Can you give me a minute?” She sat up, hugging her shoulders. Arin wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, rubbing her back.

“Take your time.” He whispered, kissing her temple.

“It’s just…somehow, it feels, good to be taken care of.” She admitted. “Normally I would object to handing over the control in my life to someone else, but I, I trust you. I trust that you’re not gonna literally ‘eat me alive’.” She blushed at the recall of the line Arin had used on her.

“I want you to feel safe around me.” Arin replied, squeezing her shoulders.

“Of course I feel safe around you, Arin, I love you.” She admitted, looking up at him.

Arin blinked, shaking his head. “You know, before you, I wouldn’t have believed that.”

“And now?” She asked.

“I’m starting to think that it’s possible.” He hugged her tightly, eyes brimming in tears as he buried his face in her shoulder.


	3. The Shield's Burden (Your Safety On My Shoulders)

Ultima ran down the hall, stumbling as the strength was slowly leaving her body.

 She was moving down an unfeeling, sanitized medical hallway, a twisted and exaggerated version of a hospital, of the Starbomb.

“Dan!” She screamed, leaning against the wall for support. “No, no, Dan! I’m almost there, just hold on.” Her legs gave out, and she fell to the ground. “Dammit!” She groaned, crawling towards the doorway she had been trying to reach. She tried to pull herself into the doorway, finally seeing what she had been fearing all along.

Dan was laying on an examination table, but the details of the room swam in Ultima’s vision as the last of her strength was sapped away. “No, no, Dan.” Tears streamed freely down her face. “No, not this, please, not this.” Something grabbed her leg, pulling her away from the door as doctors descended on Dan’s body. “Please make this stop…”

—

Ultima screamed, tears running down her face as Arin grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently. “Ultima! Ultima!” He tried to soothe her.

Ultima opened her eyes, staring at Arin. “What? What?”

“You were having a nightmare.” He explained, kissing her forehead. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I do-but, I can’t remember it.” She held her head in her hands, feeling hollow dread, a broken woman.

“Do you need anything?” Arin asked, genuinely concerned with her well being.

“I-I have to check on Dan.” All at once, the answer became startlingly clear to her.

“Alright. You know what you’re doing. You always do.” He kissed her forehead again, watching her walk out to Dan’s room.”

—

Ultima knocked on the door, sniffing quietly. Dan answered almost immediately, as if he’d been expecting her.

“Ultima?” He asked, holding her face in his hands gently. “Why are you crying?”

“I-I don’t know.” She looked up at him, trying to voice the turbulence of her thoughts. “It’s just like…whenever I see you, I, can’t help but see…” She shook her head, pushing past him into the room, sitting down on his comfortable pile of blankets and pillows. “Whenever I look at you, all I can think is…doom.”

“That’s not comforting. Why do you see that?” He asked, sitting next to her.

“I don’t know. It’s just…you seem so fragile, compared to everyone else on this ship. I feel, more than anything, this, overwhelming desire to protect you. There’s this…cloud of misfortune and pain that surrounds you. And…I feel so powerless to stop that.”

“Ultima, you don’t have to feel responsible for my safety.” Dan took her hands, trying to reassure her. “I can defend myself.”

Ultima looked up at him, staring into his eyes. Faster than she could fully comprehend-she saw a brief flash of an injured Dan, beaten and broken, malnourished and weak. It was as if death and misfortune themselves had latched onto Dan, pinning all of their attentions on him. “For your sake, I hope that’s true.” She hung her head back down, unable to face him and what she saw in his face.

How could she protect a man marked for despair by the universe?


	4. Won't The Universe Ever Spare Us? (For There's No Point To All This Suffering)

These events repeated themselves, on a precisely nightly basis.

 Every night, Ultima would be tormented by a new vision, a new glimpse into one of Dan’s possible futures. It was as if the universe had no end to the new and gruesome ways in which it could force Dan to suffer some form of harm, with Ultima’s efforts being futile in her attempts to help him.

Not that Ultima could ever remember these bouts. She would always awaken with tears soaking the pillow and her sheets, her screaming irritating her throat almost to the point of muteness.

It was a tortuous time for her, one that showed no signs of ceasing. And it weighed on her, bearing this knowledge of possible futures. This became apparent physically-bloodshot eyes, a weak voice, and hands that were more constantly gloved. She’d taken to clawing at her self in her sleep, behavior that worried Arin immensely.

Despite all of this, the Bombers continued going on missions. But, in order to appease Ultima and give her some semblance of peace of mind, Arin elected to take everyone except her and Dan out on missions.

During just one such occasion, Dan chanced upon Ultima in the kitchens. He bit his lip, observing as she tried to lift a cup of coffee up to her lips, hands shaking harshly. Thinking better of it, she set the cup down, exhaling one long, shaky breath.

“Hey.” Dan said softly, approaching Ultima.

She jumped out of her chair, letting out a weak sound of surprise. After seeing who it was, she calmed somewhat, staring at the edge of the table. “Oh. Hello, Dan.” She mumbled, staring at her hands.

“Look, I know you’ve been freaking out about these, night terrors, but you have to talk to me about them.” He sat next to her, taking her hand. “Ultima.”

She looked down at his hand. “I can’t remember them. But, that’s the worst part. It’s like this big, amorphous cloud of fear that I can’t get rid of.”

“Well,” Dan paused, trying to find the right words to help her with. “I know That keeping it bottled up isn’t gonna help you, but…what helps me is finding smoething that I can go back to that I find comfort in. Something to ground you, you know?”

“That’s the fucking problem, though.” She sighed, holding her head in her hands. “I have nothing from my life. Everyone I grew up with, everything I once loved is dead or gone. As much as I wish I could, I can’t travel back in time. I can’t get back what I lost.”

“If It makes you feel any better, I’m not from this century either.” He replied, taking her hands. “I was born in 1987, but I got teleported here.”

She stared at him, several puzzle pieces clunking into place. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She whispered, pulling her hair back into a braid. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“It just never came up. All the other shit that’s been going on has been really distracting.” Dan admitted.

Ultima sighed, shaking her head. “It would have come out eventually. Did everyone else know?”

“Yeah. But, I think we all kind of agreed that you needed a break from these huge revelations, right?”

“I…guess.” She sighed. “I just want these nightmares to stop. I haven’t gotten a good night of sleep in weeks.” Ultima shook her head, voice cracking. “I just want these nightmares to stop. If I just had some way to relax.”

Dan paused, thinking back to his own abilities. “Come on. I have an idea.”

Dan led Ultima back to his room, asking Barry to set up some background music and lights. The light in Dan’s room began glowing in intervals of blue, green, and purple light.

Ultima sat down on Dan’s bed, watching as he started singing. The almost ethereal quality of his voice hitting her brain in just the right spot. After a few minutes, she started falling asleep, her mind finally at peace.

Dan looked over at the sleeping Ultima, happy that he’d found a way to help her. He carefully lifted her up in his arms, tucking her into his bed.

She stirred soflty, turning to him. “Dan.” She mumbled sleepily.

“What is it?” He whispered, stroking her hair.

“Don’t let yourself get hurt.” She mumbled, falling back into sleep. “Please…stay…safe…”


	5. Mapping Out The Future On Your Own

Dan curled up around Ultima, cuddling her as she slept. 

He stared at the back of her head, wondering what was running through it. It had become increasingly clear to him that she was deeply worried about him.

In her eyes, he was a fragile, breakable thing, capable of being knocked over the the gentlest of breezes.

He couldn’t know why. This was occurring with respect to him, but he theorized that she was actually having nightmares about him.

This disturbed him, but not for his own safety. He didn’t want her to worry so much for him. He didn’t want to be the cause for such distress in her life.

Dan sat up, taking off his worn leather jacket, carefully laying it over Ultima’s sleeping form. She curled up under it, finally at peace. Dan stroked her hair, kissing her forehead before leaving his room.

—

A few hours later, Ultima came to, blinking to try to get her bearings. She sat up, Dan’s leather jacket sliding off of her. She caught it in her hands, running her hands over the soft leather. “Thanks, Dan.” She murmured, smiling to herself.

She slid the jacket on, yawning as she walked out of Dan’s room. She meandered her way to the ShipGarden, sitting down on a small patch of grass. She took a deep breath, the first easy one she’d had in a long time.

“Feeling better?” Barry asked over the intercom.

“Yeah. Lucky that Dan could sing in just the right way to calm me down.”

“I guess he never told you.” Barry shimmered into holographic existence next to her.

“Told me what?”

“He was in a band, back on Earth, and an awesome one at that.”

“Really?” Ultima asked.

“Yeah. He still plays, when he can find the instruments and what not.”

“He’s never told me that. There’s a lot he hasn’t voiced to me about himself.”

“You’re not mad at him?” Barry asked.

“Why would I be? He doesn’t have to dump his life story on me all at once.” She bit her lip, looking out the window. “He doesn’t owe me anything.”

“True. But, given who you are, don’t you owe the universe everything?”

Ultima laughed, shaking her head. “You really put the ‘I’ in ‘AI’, don’t you.” She stood up, pulling Dan’s jacket tighter around herself. “I’m tired of being scared, I’m done with it.” Her red gem started glowing. “And, I’m done feeling guilty about things that haven’t happened yet. I have no reason to feel the way I’m feeling right now, and I need to focus on what’s in front of me.”

Two lines of orange and red light erupted from her gems, beaming off into space. Ultima coughed, stumbling back to fall on the grass.

“Woah!” Barry exclaimed, staring at the lines of light. “Is…are those directions?”

“They must be. Do you think you can figure out where these lines lead?”

“I’ll work on it. When Arin gets back on board, you’ll be able to fully coordinate where this goes.

Ultima nodded as Barry dissolved into the wall, systems running in the background to find out where her destiny would take the Bombers next.


	6. Connected Across Time And Space

Ultima walked out of the ShipGarden, running into Dan. 

“Hey. Liking my jacket?” He asked, a bemused smile painting his face.

She laughed, shrugging it off. “It’s big on me. Why’d you have to be so tall?”

He kissed her forehead, draping an arm over her shoulders. “Not my fault you’re five two to my six two.”

Ultima blushed, resting her head against him. “So. Barry tells me that you were in a band back on Earth.”

“Yeah, I was. What about it?”

“Well, I would have liked to know! What guy wouldn’t play the musician card on a girl?”

“I didn’t need it to win you, did I?”

“Either way, I’d like to know about it.” They came to a stop, sitting on a couch in the viewdeck.

Dan fluffed his hair, thinking on what to say. “So, after doing ‘serious’ music for a while, I decided to try out doing comedy music.”

“Comedy music?”

“It’s kind of a niche genre, yeah, but people liked it. I joined up with a buddy, Brian, and we started performing as Ninja Sex Party.”

Ultima paused, her thoughts racing. “Ninja Sex Party?” She asked slowly, trying to make sense of her resurfacing memories.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Dan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I-I remember. On the last day I remember of 2015, I was…” She blinked, taking his hand. “I was on my way to a concert, in…in California.”

Dan’s blood ran cold. “Was the concert in Glendale?”  
“Glendale…yeah! I was there on vacation, and…it was my last night in the city, so I was heading to the concert that night.” She looked at Dan, blinking rapidly. “You. You were performing that night. October 21. 2015.”

Dan stopped. “Ultima, that was the day I came to the future.”

“Dan! That means that we came to the future on the same day! That can’t be coincidence.”

“I don’t think it is.” Dan hugged Ultima tightly, stroking her hair.

She pressed her face into his chest, listening to his heart beating, to the soft breaths in his lungs. “Stay safe, Dan.” She whispered, closing her eyes. “Keep yourself out of harm’s way.”

Dan kissed her forehead, rubbing her arms. He said the words he truly believed, heart filled with desperate hope. “Don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna hurt me.” Dan laid his head on hers. “Not anymore.” ‘Not while you can protect me.’ Dan thought to himself. 


	7. Pinning Hopes On One Place (Setting A Course)

“Aviara? That seems pretty random.” Arin replied.

“That’s what I found, coordinates-wise.” Barry answered, his hologram shrugging.

The Bombers had just returned from their last job, Arin conferencing with Barry and Ultima about the location of the yellow gem. “What’s up with Aviara? Is it a ruin, or something?”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just strange. Your other gems have been on planets that were significant to someone here on the crew. I don’t think that any of the crew has ties to Aviara.”

“You sure?” Ultima asked, trying to think it over. “What do we know about the planet?”

“I mean, it’s a relatively quiet planet. Aviarians tend to keep to themselves but-oh, look!” Barry started excitedly, pulling up a portrait of an austere looking woman. “Holly had family on Aviara.”

“Had?” Ultima asked, suddenly uneasy.

“Back in the 60th century, before the Conrads moved off planet to go to Terra. Apparently a couple of Holly’s ancestors was instrumental in reversing the deterioration of roosting sites on Aviara.”

“Roosting sites?” Ultima laughed.

“Yeah. Plenty of bird-based beings live on Aviara. Did the name not tip you off?” Arin chuckled.

—-

“Holy shit, really?” Holly gasped, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah. Ask Barry, he could tell you more about it.” Ultima replied, smiling at Holly’s excitement.

“I’ve wanted to go to Aviara for years! I never knew I had family from there!”

“Yeah, well, you learn something new every day.”

Holly hugged Ultima tightly, surprising Ultima. “Thank you so much.”

“For what?” Ultima asked as Holly pulled away.

“Without you, who knows when I would’ve gotten a chance like this. We don’t deviate from our flight plan too often, you know, flying from mission to mission. Just…thank you.”

“Yeah.” Ultima smiled weakly. “Don’t mention it.”

—-

Arin hummed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He was sitting in Ultima’s bedroom, waiting for her.

Ultima stepped into her bedroom, sighing heavily. “Did you and Holly have a good talk?” He asked, standing up.

She jumped slightly, startled by his voice. “Oh, yeah, yeah. She’s really excited about going to Aviara.”

“Good.” He walked over to her, taking her hands.

“Arin, what’s up?” She asked, looking up at him.

“Just…wondering.”

“About?”

Arin shrugged, leaning down and kissing her neck. “I just missed you. Out on the mission.” He whispered, placing a hand on the small of her back, pulling her close. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

Ultima blinked, wrapping her arms around him. “Arin, I’m right here. I’m not doing anything to you. I’m just, me.”

He nodded, resting his forehead on hers. “I missed you.”

Ultima bit her lip, leading Arin over to her bed. She lay down with him, Arin wrapping his arms, legs and tail around her, holding her crushingly close. After a few minutes, he purred softly, slowly relaxing with Ultima in his arms.

“I got it.” He whispered.

“What?”

“I know how you’re changing me.” Arin sighed softly, kissing her forehead. “You calm me down.”

“Is that…” But he was already sound asleep, drifting into the ocean of dreams. 


	8. Seeing Your True Colors (Having An Effect On Those I Love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's this now?

Ultima ran down the hallway, sirens blaring in the hallway, garish red lights flashing in her vision.

“Stop!” Voices behind her ordered, getting closer and closer with every step she took.

She turned and slammed her hands together, the metal walls crunching in to block the guards from chasing her.

“Dan!” She screamed, turning the corner to find the room Dan was kept in. “Dan! I’m here, we can-” She sprinted into the doorway of the room, the red lights illuminating a new nightmare for Ultima.

Dan stood with his back turned to Ultima, breathing heavily. He stood over a body, its’ face turned from her. “Dan?” She asked.

Dan turned to her, grinning. “Dan?”

“I’m not Dan.” The stranger replied. “My name is Leigh.”

Ultima’s mind became blurred with fear, moving forward to inspect the body. She managed to grab its’ shoulder as Leigh roughly pulled her away. “You’re coming with me.” Leigh simpered, dragging Ultima off by the scruff of her neck.

In that same motion, Ultima turned the body over to see Dan’s bloodied face. “No!” She struggled as Dan’s doppleganger Leigh pulled her away from Dan’s unconscious body, the alarms blaring away as her world slipped out from under her, yanking her into a waking world where she wouldn’t remember this nightmare.

Or was this a vision?

Or was this a view into a possible future?

—

Ultima woke up in the early hours of the morning. She sighed softly, looking up at Arin. Ultima stared at him in the darkness of the cabin, wondering what he was dreaming of. She reached out to lay her hand on his cheek.

He turned his head into her touch, sleepily seeking her out. Ultima pulled her hand away, smiling weakly.

Arin blinked into consciousness, looking at Ultima. “Why’d you pull away?”

“You felt that?” She asked.

“I always do. I’m hyperaware of you-raptor instincts and what not.”

“Are you sure that’s all?” She reached out to rest her hand on his neck, fingers brushing against the spiral mark on his neck.

Arin shuddered, releasing a happy purr as his eyes closed. He reached up to hold her hand, breathing heavily.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Nothing…just.” He opened his eyes, pupils dilated slightly. “The mark. It’s sensitive. When you touched it, it was like…a rush of…something.” Arin breathed deeply, staring into her eyes.

Ultima grinned mischievously. She leaned down to kiss the spiral on Arin’s neck. “You said I calmed you down.” Ultima whispered against his skin as Arin gripped her arms tightly. “But I think I have the opposite effect on you.” She gently nipped his neck along the spiral, and Arin came alive.

Arin rolled Ultima over and pinned her down to the bed, holding her wrists against the mattress. When she got her bearings back, Ultima stared up at Arin’s face, seeing an altogether new kind of look in Arin’s eyes.

“Arin?” She asked, not sure about how she felt about the look in Arin’s eyes.

He growled, smiling in a way that showed all of his teeth, his forked tongue lolling out. “You look delicious…” He growled. In a flash of movement, Arin sank his fangs into Ultima’s shoulder, decidedly stronger than usual.

Ultima gasped, caught off guard by Arin’s newfound eagerness.

Out of literally nowhere, Arin sat up, staring at Ultima in horror. “Holy shit, what just happened?” He jumped off the bed, afraid of touching Ultima.

“Are you okay?” She asked, sitting up.

Arin shook his head, shaking as he backed up. “No, no, I can’t-” He stood up, making a break for the door.

“Arin!” She bolted up, standing in front of the door to block his way. “I’m right here, just talk to me!” Tears of frustration welled at the corner of her eyes.

He hung his head in shame, sniffing. Arin leaned in, falling into Ultima’s arms. He started sobbing into Ultima’s shoulders, collapsing into a mess of emotion. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered. “I’m sorry.” 


	9. From One Lover To Another (Trying To Figure You Out)

After comforting Arin, Ultima walked to breakfast by herself, Arin deciding to go back to sleep.  

It was strange for the Bombers to see Ultima arriving at breakfast without Arin, but most shrugged it off, Ultima keeping to herself.

“Ultima?” Dan asked softly, sitting next to her. “Is, everything with Arin okay?”

She bit her lip, looking down into her cup of water. “Yeah. But something kinda, weird happened this morning.”

“What?”

“So, we were, in bed, and he bit my shoulder. Nothing wrong, it was just like normal. But today, it was like he had a completely different look in his eyes. He…looked like he wanted to eat me.”

“Holy shit, Ultima-”

“But right after he bit me, he pulled away, freaking out and trying to leave. When I stopped him, he…started crying. He just broke down.”

Dan sighed, partially in relief. “Good thing it didn’t escalate.”

“Escalate? This has happened before?”

“Sort of. Every so often, Arin will go into these bouts of rage, where the raptor side of him comes out completely. Normally he would lock himself in his room until it passes, sometimes Kevin helps him deal with it. But you were there with him this time.”

“Does that make any difference?” Ultima asked.

“Yeah it does. You say this lasted only a few seconds? That’s the fastest he’s ever snapped himself out of it.”

“How does that-” She sighed, holding her head in her hands, a headache rolling over her.

Dan reached out to squeeze Ultima’s shoulder. “Talk to him about it. If there’s anyone who needs to understand this about him, it’s you.”

“Why?” She asked, looking up at him.

“Because you’re the one in his heart.”

—

Barry announced to the Bombers that they would be arriving in Aviara soon. Ultima paced around in front of Arin’s room for a few minutes, finally steeling her courage and walking into the room.

“Arin?” She called out softly, looking around the captain’s cabin, looking for Arin. She spied him, curled up on the corner of his mattress.

She sat next to him, pulling back the corner of the blankets to reveal Arin hiding his face from her. “Hey you.” Ultima smiled weakly at Arin as he glanced up at her.

“Why are you here?” He asked, blinking as he sat up.

“I wanted to check up on you. Barry says that we’ll get to Aviara by tomorrow night.”

“So you wanted to make sure I’m at one hundred percent?” He inquired timidly.

“Yeah. We need to talk about what happened this morning.” She explained.

Arin stood up, pacing around the room, his tail swishing behind him. Ultima pulled her feet up onto the mattress, crossing her legs. Arin stopped, his back turned to Ultima. “Why do you love me?”

“What?” Ultima asked, shocked.

Arin spun around to face her, tears streaming down his face. “Why do you love me? You’ve seen that…monstrous side of me. I wanted to eat you this morning. Literally eat you alive. Does that not mean anything to you?”

Ultima stood up. With every word, she stepped closer to Arin until she was less than a foot away from him. “I love you, because of who you are. You’re not a monster. A monster wouldn’t have felt any remorse for what it does wrong. You try to make amends for it, you work to make it better.” She reached out to lay her hand on Arin’s cheek, wiping his tears away with her thumb. “You’re not a monster to me. No matter what, I’ll never see you as a monster.”

Arin hugged Ultima tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. His tail wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. “Thank you.” He whispered, hands squeezing her gently. “Thank you.” 


	10. Are You Hurting The One You Love? (So Many Storms On The Horizon)

“Stop it, just stop it!” Ultima shrieked, holding the blaster in her hands.

Leigh turned to her, Dan bleeding from a heavy punch to his face. “Ultima…” Dan whimpered, reaching out to her.

Leigh looked down at Dan giving him a swift kick to the stomach. “Shut up before I shatter that pretty jaw of yours.” Leigh purred threateningly.

Ultima clicked the blaster into firing mode, lifting it up and aiming it at Leigh’s head. “You do that and they’ll be cleaning pieces of you of the walls for weeks.” She tried to assert, hands trembling as she held up the blaster.

Leigh turned to her and looked at Ultima pleadingly, a disturbing imitation of Dan’s face. “Why? Why would you hurt me, Ultima?”

“Ultima, don’t listen to him, he’ll say anything to-” Dan was cut off as Leigh brought his heavy boot down on Dan’s arm, snapping the bones of Dan’s left arm in two. Dan let out a bloodcurdling shriek of pain, his body trembling.

Then Dan caught sight of Ultima, and his own pain was forgotten.

Ultima pulled the blaster back, pressing the barrel up to her right temple. “Stop.” She whispered through the silent tears, the voice of a crumbling woman. “Stop hurting him.”

Leigh held his hands up. “Don’t make any hasty decisions now, darling.” The clone took a step towards Ultima, and she turned the safety off on the blaster, finger on the trigger.

“Don’t come near me. One more step and I’ll shoot.”

“Ultima, please don’t do this.” Dan sobbed, trying to sit up on his broken arm. “You know what’ll happen if you pull that trigger!”

“I know.” She sobbed, feeling the cold metal barrel of the blaster digging into her skin. “But if this universe is going to keep making the ones I love suffer, then I’d rather end my life and destroy this universe to stop it. I’m sorry Dan…” She closed her eyes, ready to pull the trigger when she froze, hearing that familiar growling coming from behind her.

When she opened her eyes, Leigh was grinning in satisfaction. “About time you showed up…”

Ultima turned around, desperately hoping her fears weren’t going to be realized. She met a pair of extremely un-dilated yellow eyes, a green tail swishing behind the encroaching figure predatorily.

“…Soldier Egoraptor.” Leigh finished as Ultimas’ scream echoed throughout the room.

—

Ultima rolled over on the mattress, wiping her face. Barry pinged to life through the PA system. “Arriving at Aviara in less than one hour. I’ll look to see if there are any other jobs we could do while we’re there.” He stated.

Arin yawned, nodding. “Thanks, Barry.” He sat up, turning to look down at Ultima. “Holy shit.”

Ultima blinked, turning to Arin. “What?” She asked blearily.

“Ultima, you’re bleeding.”

“What?” She sat up, suddenly aware of dried blood caking her face. She looked down at the pillow, the crimson staining the soft white cotton. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry Arin.”

“Don’t apologize for this. It’s not your fault if you had a nosebleed while you slept.” He went to knock on the wall, but the panel slid open before he could do anything, revealing a towel and a small bottle of antiseptic BioCleaner.

Arin poured a few drops of BioCleaner on a corner of the towel, carefully cleaning the blood off of Ultima’s face.

She closed her eyes, sighing softly. “This feels familiar.”

“What do you mean?” Arin asked, wiping blood off of her left cheek.

“Dan did the same thing-cleaning my face. Back on Seritutem, I went kind of overboard with my powers, and I guess I overloaded my brain. It couldn’t handle it, and I got a nosebleed.”

Arin hummed in thought, wiping off the last of the gore from Ultima’s neck. “So you got a nosebleed when you overload your powers?”

“That makes sense.” She admitted, opening her eyes to stare at Arin.

“Then, what were you doing in your sleep that gave you a nosebleed?”

Ultima sighed, holding her head. “I don’t know..visions? Portals into an alternate dimension? I don’t know, what do people think that dreams and nightmares are?”

Arin shrugged, kissing her forehead. “I guess we’ll find out.”

—

“So, I got one job. Apparently, most people on Aviara don’t want for anything.” Barry announced as the Bombers assembled over breakfast.

“Read it off.” Arin asked of Barry.

Barry opened up the job posting, reading it to the crew. “Help Wanted-My name is Perrol Grean, Proffesor. I need a group of individuals to investigate reports of Timoric sightings near and within the Northern Caves of Aviara. If any groups/individuals can confirm these sightings as fact, I want any and all Timorics captured and brought to me. If you or your crew consider yourselves up to the task, you can find me on Aviara.”

Arin thought, stroking his chin. “Timorics, huh? Could be risky.”

“Why do you say that?” Ultima asked.

“Timorics are, well, they’re slippery bastards, from what I’ve heard.” Arin explained.

“But no one’s seen one in the wild for over three decades. Aren’t they supposed to be practically extinct?” Holly asked.

“I guess Professor Grean can tell us that.” Ultima hummed, wondering about this woman who needed their help.

After landing on Aviara, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out where Professor Grean lived. Upon landing on the forest like terrain of Aviara, the Bombers spied several signs pointing them in the direction of Greans’ residence.

At the end of the trail, they came upon a home suspended in the branches of an enormously tall and thick tree, reminding Ultima of the Sierra Madre, a place her family visited frequently back on Earth.

“This planet looks like the-” She began, cut off by a voice.

“Are you the crew of the Starbomb?” The Bombers looked up to see a woman covered head to toe in feather hovering down to the ground, her wings fluttering like a hummingbird. She landed on the ground, folding a pair of wings against her back.

“Professor Grean?” Arin asked, folding his hands behind his back.

“Please, Call me Perrol.”

—

Perrol led the Bombers up a wooden set of grand stairs that led to what could only be described as the Buckingham Palace of bird nests. The walls were smooth composed from tightly woven twigs, padded in with what looked like soft pine needles.

Despite the size of the home, the main sitting room was incredibly cozy, the walls emitting an aura of soft homeliness, the kind of place where warm cookies and fluffy blankets would be the order of the day.

The Bombers sat at a round table. “If you’re here about the job, then you’re in luck.” Perrol pulled out a paper map of Aviara, pointing to a small red dot on the northern portion of the map. “Last night, I got another report for a Timoric sighting. It would seem that there’s only one out in the Northern Caves, and that it’s taken residence in the Cave of Still Air.”

Perrol drew a circle around the cave on the map, highlighting the coordinates for it.

“How long would it take us to reach on foot?” Arin asked, leaning forward.

“It’s only a one day journey. If you start today, you can reach the cave by tomorrow night.”

“We’ll start our search immediately.” Arin cleared his throat, standing up. “Any other advice?”

“Don’t look directly at the Timoric when you find it. I’ve found that nothing good comes out of it.”

“That’s comforting.” Ultima muttered.

“And one more thing.” Perrol cautioned as the Bombers began leaving. “All of you, keep a level head on your mission. Don’t let fear cloud your judgement. Fear can make monsters of any being.”

—

With that chilling warning, the Bombers set off on the long hike towards the Cave of Still Air. As the Aviara suns set on the first stretch of their mission, Suzy spotted a clearing suited perfectly for them to set up camp. Within an hour of sunset, the Bombers were sitting around the artificial fire, eating dinner and trading stories in the quiet warmth of the orange fire.

“What was that that you were talking about earlier?” Suzy asked during a lull in the conversation, turning to Ultima.

“Oh, you mean about this planet? Well, it was nothing important. Just something about Earth.” Ultima shrugged. “It wasn’t special.”

“No, no, do share your tale.” Suzy urged. “Other than Dan, you’re the first human in centuries with memories of what Earth was truly like.”

Ultima sighed softly, thinking back to the memory. “Back when I was living on Earth, my family used to take trips down to this valley called the Sierra Madre for my birthday.”

“Where was that?” Dan asked.

“Mexico. My mom had family that lived down there, and we would hike around the Sierra for weeks.”

“What did it look like?” Holly asked.

“Oh man, it was…god it was magnificent. There’s really no other way to describe it. Most people go down to Mexico expecting endless flat desert, but not in the Sierra. The mountains were covered in forests, and the air was so clear, a literal breath of fresh air.” She looked around at the forest they were camping in. “I mean…I’m not homesick, but it’s nice to know that there are places that look like Earth around the universe.”

The Bombers were quiet, ruminating on their own homeworlds. Ultima looked around nervously, meeting Dan’s eyes. Dan nodded, taking a deep breath. “Well. That’s a good note to end the night on. I’m going to bed.” He stood up.

“Great, I’ll join you.” Ultima got up along with Dan.

“What, really?” Dan asked, looking over at Arin.

Arin shrugged. “It’s not my place to tell anyone where to sleep, so long as you’re safe.” Arin walked over to kiss Ultima on the head. “Good night.”

Ultima blinked, crawling into Dan’s tent, laying on the soft tent floor. Dan stretched out beside her. “You alright?” He asked.

Ultima turned to Dan, sighing softly. “Yeah, just..homesick. I haven’t had time to feel it in a while.” She looked down exhaling heavily. “Can we just-”

Dan wrapped his arms around Ultima’s waist, pulling her into his lean frame. “I got you.” He whispered, rubbing her back.

Ultima closed her eyes, the comfort she felt translating rather strangely in the shifting world of her dreaming mind. 


	11. To Be Honest, I Would Absolutely Be Down For That (But That Doesn't Mean I Should Be)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What fresh sexy hell is this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: The Frightening Foursome

Ultima sighed happily, laying back on the bed.

Leigh lay his head down beside Ultima, smiling in satisfaction. “How was that?” He purred against her ear, nipping her skin gently. “You really tired the others out.”

Ultima hummed, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back. “Better than I expected.” She admitted. “Is that so?”

Leigh grinned, kissing along her neck, lips brushing against her gems. “Maybe next time you could just watch me and them go at it…”

“And miss out on the fun? I wouldn’t dream of it.” She teased, sitting up. She looked over the bed and it’s occupants, a sleeping Dan and Arin resting after the night’s’ activities, Leigh laying back with a simpering expression of smugness plastered across his face, so like Dan’s. “I’ll be right back.” She got up, walking into the bathroom. Ultima looked at herself in the mirror and-her reflection was crying.

“Please.” The reflection sniffed. “Wake up.” It sobbed. Ultima felt something warm trickle down her face, and reached up to touch it, only to find blood slowly seeping from her eyes like the tears her reflection was crying.  "Wake up!“ Her reflection screamed, the mirror shattering outwards towards Ultima.

The darkness behind the mirror exploded, consuming her surroundings, and she was plunging into it.

—

“Ultima?” Hands grabbed cold shoulders, a loving voice calling out. “Ultima!” Dan cried out, trying to shake Ultima awake.

She gasped sharply, looking around. “What..what?”

“You’re having a nosebleed.” Dan replied, slowly helping her sit up. “Are you alright?”

“Did I get any blood on you?” She looked intently at Dan, ignoring the question.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

The two exited the tent, dawn barely breaking over Aviara. Dan began cleaning Ultima’s face as Arin rolled out of his tent, wide awake when he saw Ultima.

“Oh shit, what happened?” He asked, worriedly, kneeling next to her.

She waved her hand to indicate indifference. “Oh, just another nightmare induced nosebleed, nothing to worry about.”

Arin sighed, kissing her forehead. “At least you’re taking it well.”

With that, the Bombers set off after breakfast to the Northern Caves. At around noon, the climbed over a ridge overlooking the trail that would lead them to the Cave of Still Air.

“We’re almost there. Looks like another hour hike and we’ll be there.” Ultima tapped her feet excitedly, fidgeting. “Come on!” She called to the rest of the group, starting off ahead on the trail.

Though he was in excellent shape, Arin still found it difficult to keep up with Ultima. It was clear that her boundless energy had been unlocked thanks to the way that this place reminded her of her old home, but Arin couldn’t imagine how she could stay so jubilant after this much hiking.

Regardless, the Bombers did find the cave within the hour, and they soon stood at the mouth of it, staring into the darkness contained therein.

“Alright. You got a plan?” Ultima turned to Arin.

“Kind of.” Arin turned to those assembled. “The most important thing to remember is that we move in as a group. Nothing good can come from us grouping off to find this thing.”

“And we can’t just set a trap for it?” Kevin suggested.

“Perhaps, but it sounds like we would not want to risk it, if Proffessor Grean is to be believed. This creature could be extremely dangerous when faced head on. Better to attempt its’ capture in a group.”

“Tactfully put.” Arin commented.

“So we’re just gonna wander around the cave until we find this thing?” Ross scoffed.

“Do we have some chalk?” Ultima asked.

“Chalk?” Arin replied.

“Yeah. To mark the cave walls to let us know where we’ve been.” Ultima explained.

“I can do you one better.” Holly offered up. She dug around on her tool belt, pulling out small bags of clear pellets. “These are usually used for lights out target practice, but if you smash them against the cave wall…” Holly walked up to a flat stone covered in shadow. She took small pellet in hand, and crushed it against the rock. Within seconds, a strong glow came from the smear the pellet left on the wall. “And there it is. A marker.”

“Awesome! Let’s move in. Suzy, Kevin, and Ultima, you’ll move with me in front. Ross, Holly, and Dan, you guys will flank from behind.”

The Bombers got into formation, ready to move forward into the cave, on their toes, blasters drawn, Suzy looking particularly intimidating with eight blasters in each of her hands.

As soon as Ultima’s toe crossed the line separating the cave from the outside world, a sharp stab of pain went through her head like the pole that gored Phineas Gage’s head.

With a sharp gasp of pain, her eyes rolled back into her head, and Ultima collapsed to the ground, shaking and jerking around, the whites of her eyes the only thing looking back at the Bombers as they surrounded her in a panic. Blood slowly seeped from both of her nostrils.

Their voices failed to reach Ultima as her mind spiraled off into the void where her nightmarish visions lived. 


	12. What You See As You Sleep (Walking Into The Golden Sun)

Ultima fell into the void, finally landing on a flat, hard surface.

Had this been in the waking world, she would have perished upon impact, breaking every bone in her body.

Instead, pain radiated through her, blinding her for a few long moments. She groaned softly, rolling onto her side.

And she came face to face with Dan. Ultima blinked, reaching out to him. As Dan tilted his head at her, she saw three small slits flapping open and closed on his neck, like gills.

Ultima sat up, scrambling away. The Dan she’d been staring at frowned, swimming away, legs replaced by a long and shimmering tail covered in blue fish scales.

Ultima stood, confusion overcoming her. “Where…what…” The merman version of Dan she’d seen was confined behind a window-like opening in the wall.

As Ultima looked around, she saw that this window was only one of many views into an alternate reality-a view into a possible future or timeline.

These windows were set into a wall. The walls were seemingly made out of black onyx, the cold, flat stone composing the floor beneath her feet as well. The whole area could be described as a high ceilinged hallway.

Ultima turned to approach another window, soft voices coming from within the frame, inviting Ultima to approach it.

She could only make out a few brief snippets of dialogue, all from different voices, but what she could hear chilled her.

“…the perfect weapon…”

“…sixty ninth time’s the charm…”

“…your mission…”

“…destroy the Bombers…”

“…capture the last daughter and…”

“…our two best soldiers…ever created…”

“…won’t stand a chance…”

Ultima almost didn’t want to know, but curiosity prowled in the back of her head.

But she never got a chance to find out.

Out of nowhere, a bright light burst from the end of the hallway, bathing the hallway in a brilliant yellow-gold light.

Ultima stared into the light, a soft voice singing Creatia directly into her head. She understood it, knew what it meant, and started running towards the light, throwing herself head first into it, letting the light swallow her whole.

—

After she’d collapsed, the Bombers moved her out of the cave, Arin laying her down on a flat patch of mossy plants. Ultima sat up as soon as she woke up, twitching herself out of the dream.

“I-I really need to stop doing that.” Ultima sighed, looking around at the assembled Bombers. “What?”

“Ultima.” Arin sniffed, extending a trembling hand out to Ultima. “I thought you were dead. What happened to you?”

She sat up, looking into the cave. “I-I guess it was a nightmare. But…I’m not afraid of anything.” Ultima stood up, walking towards the cave. “I know what I have to do.”

And with that, Ultima began running into the cavernous opening of the mountain, the Bombers following close behind her.

As the Bombers followed Ultima into the cave of still air, they failed to notice the Timoric hiding in the shadows of the cave. But it had noticed them. The Timoric began moving after them, ready to begin its hunt.

It’s target? The being with a wild mane of hair, the second love of the last daughter. The one they called Dan.


	13. The Fire In Her Eyes (The Fear Burning In His Veins)

The Bombers followed Ultima through the cave with surprising ease. 

Where they’d expected steep and slippery rock tunnels, they instead found a cave system built very much like a maze. Ultima navigated the tunnels easily, slipping into several hidden passageways that deviated from the main tunnel system.

Ultima finally came to a stop, standing at the end of a long tunnel, the trail going cold in the presence of an impassible rock wall.

Arin stopped, looking at Ultima. He placed his hand on her shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry.” He sighed.

She placed her hand on his, shaking her head. “This won’t be the end.” She rolled her shoulders, taking off her cape. She tossed it to the ground, Dan catching it before it hit the gross cave floor.

Ultima closed her eyes, holding her hands out in front of her, her skin emitting a low red light that originated at the rouge gem on her neck. The rock wall before her began trembling, giving a great groan before bursting into chunks, revealing an empty chamber, hidden away from the rest of the cave.

Ultima stepped into the chamber, shuddering. “Does it-does it feel warm in here to you guys?”

“Are you kidding?” Holly shivered, hugging herself. “It’s freezing in here.”

Ultima breathed heavily, fanning herself with her hand. She fell to her knees, turning over the rocks that littered the floor of the room, hands shaking. “It’s here, it has to be…”

“Ultima, what?” Arin asked, moving forward as Ultima turned over a small, smooth stone, revealing a glittering yellow crystal embedded in the unremarkable grey stone. She stood up, closing her hand over the crystalline object.

A wave of energy blasted out from Ultima’s body, knocking the Bombers back against the cave walls. Arin looked up from where he now lay on the ground, watching in horror as Ultima was consumed by yellow fire, the flames licking up along her body, working their way into her hair. With a final blast of power, Ultima gave a short scream, the yellow flames rushing into her hair, a small splatter of yellow stars now decorating her black waves of hair.

She gasped, staring down at her arms. The Bombers gathered themselves, slowly standing up. “What the fuck?” Ross exclaimed, systems and lights whirring away in his robotic body.

Ultima held her hands up in front of her, turning to the Bombers. “Are you alright?” Suzy inquired.

Ultima clenched her hands, and uncurled them quickly, a small burst of flames emanating from her hands. “New power.” She breathed, looking at the gathered crew members.

“Ultima are you sure that you want to continue on this mission now?” Arin asked, walking up to her.

“Yeah, I-” Ultima stopped, blinking rapidly. She groaned in pain, falling to her knees as she was hit with a violent wave of new memories.

“Ultima!” Arin gasped, kneeling beside her. He helped her lay back into his arms.

She stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes, taking a slow, measured breath. “I remember.” She whispered.

“Remember what?” Arin asked.

“The nightmares. I remember all of them.” She turned to look at Dan. “We need to get Dan the hell out of this cave, now.”

But as the Bombers looked around, a terrifying truth became glaringly apparent to all of them.

Dan was nowhere to be found. 


	14. These Caring Hands Have So Much Blood On Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is The Chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The one with the alien gore in it. Also: Sorry, Dan.

Despite what the Bombers would later report, Dan had been separated from the group for quite some time.

One of the many powers of Timorics is the ability to alter and manipulate what their targets see. Because Timorics are hyper-aware of the thoughts and emotions of other living beings, its east for the Timoric to craft illusions in the mind of their prey.

In this unfortunate case, the Timoric sent to strike fear into Dan’s being had been able to manipulate Dan’s mind from afar, making the earthling see fake passageways, hear voices that led him on a path away from the Bombers

Dan didn’t realize he was alone until he came to a dead end, the tunnel coming to an abrupt stop, surprising him. “What the f…” He muttered, turning around. Dan knew now that trying to find his way back would be fairly useless. Every tunnel in this ridiculous cave looked exactly the same.

Dan reached down to his belt, pulling out the standard issue flashlight each of the Bombers came equipped with. The cold, heavy steel was a strange comfort to him as he flicked the light on. The communicator on his wrist lit up, indicating an incoming signal.

Dan pressed it on, Arin’s panicked voice breaking through. “Dan! Dan, come in.” Arin stated.

“I hear you.” Dan replied, speaking into the communicator.

“Dan, where the hell are you?” Arin ordered.   
“I don’t know. A dead end, somewhere in the cave.” Dan waved the flashlight around, searching in vain for some identifying marks on the wall.

“Good. Just stay where you are, and we’ll come find you. Have your blaster at the ready. We don’t know where the hell this Timor-whatever-the-fuck is.” Arin ordered, voice calming down.

“O-okay. Please hurry.” Dan whispered as the comm line went flat.

He held the flashlight in one hand, reaching for his blaster with another.

That was when he was it-just out of the corner of his eye. Something furry skittered at the edge of the circle of light the flashlight provided.

Dan pointed his blaster out, moving the light to try and find what was moving in the cave with him.

His eyes fell on the Timoric that had been following him without his knowledge. In that same instance, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps-the Bombers had found him. As the group turned the corner, a strange glow started radiating from the Timoric, slowly filling the cave tunnel with light as it grew brighter.

“Close your eyes!” Ultime shrieked, reaching out to Dan. The rest of the Bombers fell back, covering their eyes as they turned away from the light completely.

Dan and Ultima locked eyes as the Timoric Jumped at Dan, its’ glow building up and climaxing as a searing, instant flash of light that went off like the flashbulb of a camera.

Ultima closed her eyes just in time to miss the flash, but Dan had been fully exposed to the full brunt of it-temporarily blinded by the flash.

After it faded away, Dan merely kneeled there, paralyzed. His body trembled subtly, silent tears flowing down his face.

Ultima stared at Dan. “Dan?” She whispered softly, reaching out to him.

But Dan didn’t turn towards her voice. Instead, a small, pitiful whimper emanated from his throat, the beginnings of a full on psychotic and nervous breakdown bubbling up in his throat, the deep, painful distress Dan felt rapidly becoming clear on his face.

Ultima stared helplessly at Dan’s descent into fear-induced madness. She looked down, staring daggers at the creature that had caused this.

The Timoric seemed to turn towards her, fur ruffling threateningly. It’s round, furry body began glowing again, preparing to do to Ultima what it had done to Dan.

“Stop.” Ultima whispered viciously, picking up a rock from the cave floor, moving towards the Timoric. “No.” She growlingly whispered, lifting the rock above her head as she stood over the Timoric. Its’ glow built, almost ready to blind Ultima with its’ light. “Stop it!” Ultima roared, bringing the rock down on the Timoric’s furry body. It’s glow stopped, the sickening sound of bones crunching under rock echoing in the cave. A spray of black blood from the small alien spattered against Ultima.

“Stop it!” She screamed again, bludgeoning the Timoric into a bloody pulp, its inky blood covering her hands and arms. “I don’t want to see! I don’t want to see!” She shrieked a final time, falling to her knees, staring at the Timoric’s mangled corpse as the bloodied rock rolled out of her hands.

But that didn’t concern her. Ultima looked up at Dan, tears still streaming down his face in rivulets, showing no signs of stopping. “Dan?” Ultima called weakly, voice sweet and caring despite the anger that had ripped from her throat just seconds before.

Dan’s eyes were unfocused, his mind lost in his own fears as he whimpered fearfully. He took no notice of Ultima as she kneeled beside him. He only acknowledged her presence when she placed a black-blood stained hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her.

“Ultima.” Dan sobbed, hiding his head in the crook of her neck, whimpering in fear as he cried. “I’m so scared, Ultima.”

“It’s okay, Dan.” She soothed, holding Dan close, stroking his hair and rubbing his back calmingly. The inky blood on her hands stained his spotless Bomber jacket, robbing the scene of some of its’ tenderness. “You’re safe now, Dan.” She kissed his head. “Nothing’s gonna hurt you because I’m here now.”

Ultima’s promise echoed through the cave, adding a disturbingly kind finales to the grisly events that had taken place in the cave. 


	15. Clinging To The One I Love When I Know I Should Let Go (What These Eyes Have Seen! What These Hands Have Done…)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Dan :(

“Hurts…hurts.” Dan whispered, hands grabbing Ultima’s sleeve tightly.

“You’re okay, Dan.” Ultima soothed, rocking Dan as best as she could. It wasn’t easy for her five foot six frame to hold Dan’s six foot body in her arms, but she had to try.

After what had happened in the cave, Ultima and Dan left the cavern, Dan never letting go of Ultima’s hands, walking incredibly close to her.

The pair settled down at the base of a tree, nestling into a small divot created by its’ roots. Ultima let Dan curl up into her lap, holding him as he  trembled in fear. Arin stayed with them, the rest of the Bombers gathering what they could of the Timoric’s corpse.

Arin looked over at Ultima, eyes filled with worry, not just for Dan, but partially for Ultima as well. He’d never seen such unbridled bloodlust in Ultima’s eyes before today.

While it was somewhat comforting to know what lengths Ultima would go to to protect those she loved, it was also deeply troubling.

Was her time with the Bombers turning her into weapon?

“Are you sure you’re good?” Arin asked her.

“I’m fine. It’s Dan I’m worried about.” Ultima replied, Dan pulling away to stare at Ultima’s face.

“Ultima?” He murmured, voice weak from crying.

“Yes, Dan?” She asked, smiling gently at him.

“You’re never gonna go away, right? You’re never gonna leave me alone?”

“Of course not, Dan. I’m right here.” Ultima stroked his hair.

Dan took her hand, gripping it tightly in his shaking fingers. “Promise! Promise me you’ll never let anything hurt you.”

“I can take care of myself, Dan. Don’t you worry about little ol’ me.” She replied.

Dan shook his head, grabbing the blaster from his belt. He placed it in her hands, staring at her face. “If I ever…stop being myself, and you can’t get me back…” He shook his head again, re-holstering the blaster. “I’m sorry.” He sniffed, crying as he rest his forehead on her shoulder.

“Dan…” Ultima began, cut off as Holly called from the mouth of the cave.

“We’re ready to move out!” Holly proclaimed. “We got all we’re gonna get out of this Timoric.”

The Bombers made their hiking preparations, Ultima turning to Dan. After some gently persuasion, Ultima convinced Dan to stand, letting him lean against her, clinging to her arm.

After they’d been walking for a few minutes, Ultima bit her lip, turning to look up at Dan. “Dan?”

“Yeah?” He mumbled, lost in his thoughts.

“When the Timoric flashed you with that light, what did you see?”

Dan sighed heavily, shaking his head. “You don’t wanna know.”

“Yes I do. It won’t help anyone if you keep this bottle up, least of all yourself. “

Dan sighed, looking down at Ultima as they walked. “You really want to know. Fine.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “When I walked into that cave, I was years younger than when I came out.”

“What do you mean?”

“What that, thing, showed me, it happened in less than a second for you. But for me, it was like I lived full centuries out in the span of second.”

“Holy shit, Dan.” She whispered.

“That’s not the bad part. See, what I lived through was…was my greatest fears. Everything that I’m terrified of having happen to me-everything I’m afraid of. I saw it all, lived it all.”

“How?”

“It made me go through it all. I died to a horde of sharks in open water. I died of starvation on a planet after I was left behind. I…” Dan screwed his eyes shut tight, fighting back tears.

“Dan, you don’t have to tell-”

“No. You need to know the next part.” He opened his red, puffy eyes, staring at her. “Because-it also showed me you.”

Ultima’s blood ran cold. “Me? What about me?”

“I lived through you dying, Ultima. I watched you die in hundreds, no, thousands of different ways. I lived for centuries, seeing nothing but your death. But…I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t stop it, not even once.” He closed his eyes, voice cracking. “But the worst days were the ones where I was the thing that killed you. When I couldn’t control my own body, and had to watch my hands-” Dan opened his eyes, grabbing Ultima to stop her from walking ahead.

He grabbed her shoulders with shaking, weak fingers, turning her to face him.

With a tremoring voice, Dan spoke thusly. “There is so much in this universe that wants to kill you Ultima. So much that can kill you. And…and…I might be one of those things, Ultima.” He sniffed harshly, releasing her shoulders as he turned away from her.

“Dan…” Ultima reached out to him, and Dan shied out of her touch. She finally managed to grab a hold of his shoulder, intending to reach towards him. “Dan!”

In a blur of motion,  Ultima’s back was pressed up against a tree trunk, Dans’ hands on either side of her face, closing her in.

His face was mere inches from hers, shining with tears, his visage twisted in anguish. “Ultima, I might get possessed one day and kill you! Doesn’t that scare you, even a little bit?” He broke down, covering his face as he sobbed violently. “I don’t deserve your sympathy! I don’t deserve your love! I don’t even deserve to live…”

Ultima pulled Dan’s hands away from his face, and pressed a kiss to his shocked lips. After a few tender moments, she pulled away, gazing caringly into his face.

“Dan, no one has to earn their place in the universe. You exist because you exist. And it’s not your fault that you get bodysnatched. You don’t ask for it-it just happens, without reason. Victims are never to blame for what their attackers do.” She wrapped her arms around his wiry frame, burying her face in his chest. “I swear to you, Dan, I will find a way to protect you from these body-snatchings for good.”

Dan slowly wrapped his arms around Ultimas’ petite, lean waist, squeezing her gently. After a moment, he pulled away, smiling weakly. “Come on.” He tilted his head towards the path, taking her hand. “I we hang back any longer, the others will think we stayed behind to bone.”

Ultima laughed in relief. “There’s the Dan I know.”

The tow jogged ahead to catch up to the rest of the Bombers.

Ultima had managed to assuage the fear in Dan’s mind, this much was true. But what the Timoric had shown Dan had scarred his mind beyond repair. And no amount of laughter caused by dick jokes could protect Dan from the evil machinations and plots that were falling into place around him. 


	16. Will I Be Enough To Protect You? (I Have To Be Enough)

When the Bombers made it back to Professor Greans’ home, the avian humanoid was ecstatic at what they’d brought back.

“This is wonderful!” She crowed happily. “I’ve never been able to examine the remains of at Timoric.” Grean frowned, thinking it over. She asked Arin: “What happened to it to mangle it so?”

Arin bit his lip, looking over at Ultima. Dan fidgeted, fear prowling in the back of his head.

“I killed it.” Ultima stated. She wove her fingers into Dan’s. “It flashed this…light at Dan, and afterwards, he looked…” Ultima shook her head. “The only thing I could think of doing was protecting Dan, and that meant killing the Timoric.”

Perral stopped, staring at Dan. “You’ve been exposed to the Timoric’s power?” The scientist strode up to Dan, staring at him incredulously. “How can this be?”

“What? Do people normally act differently after seeing Timorics?” Arin inquired, folding his arms.

“Yes.” Perral replied, picking up a clipboard, taking a few frantic notes on it, pen scratching away at the paper. “Captain Egoraptor, would you mind terribly if I performed a few examinations on your crew members cranium?” She asked, pointing to Dan.

Arin looked at Dan, who shrugged noncommittally. “I don’t see why not.”

—

Most of the Bombers retreated to Perrals’ dining room, resting after the long hike, Arin included. Ultima went with Dan to the examinations, after he had made it clear that he didn’t want her out of his sight.

Professor Grean led Dan to a separate wing of her house, several examination tables lined up together. But unlike the stark, cold metal tables of typical hospitals, the tables laid out in Greans house were made of wood, padded with mattresses made of soft Aviara grass.

Grean helped Dan lay out on an examination table, his head held in place by two stiff pieces of foam. She placed a sensor on each of his temples, firing up a nearby machine. “I’ll perform a simple brain scan to assess which areas of your brain were most affected by the Timoric. The restraints are just there to keep your head still, but you can talk throughout as you please.” Grean explained to Dan and Ultima.

Dan fidgeted with his fingers, the thin phalanges looking for her. “Ultima?” He called out.

“I’m here.” She reached out to take his hand.

“How long is this gonna take?” He asked, clearly uncomfortable of being unable to move his head.

“A few minutes. Try to relax, Grean replied, pressing away at the machine’s buttons.

Ultima looked down at Dan, thinking of ways to distract him. “Hey, Dan, you know, it occurs to me that you’ve never really talked to me about your life on Earth. Got any stories?” She smiled.

Dan smiled weakly. “My parents. I would have liked for you to meet them.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dan chuckled, recalling a memory from his youth. “When I was a teenager…”

—

“…and then he turned the music back up and we never talked about it again.” Dan finished the story, a smile creeping up into his face as Ultima laughed.

“Your dad sounds awesome! Oh man.” Ultima smiled at Dan as Grean detached the sensors from Dan’s head. He sat up, rubbing his head.

“Curious, very curious.” Grean hummed.

“What?” Ultima asked, helping Dan off the examination table.

“Daniel, your brain is very…inconsistent with the other test subjects I’ve observed.” Grean pulled up a cross section graph of Dan’s brain, an area near the center lit up like a bonfire.

“Is that bad?” Dan asked, grabbing Ultima’s hands for support.

“No, just…oh, wait that makes sense!” Realization dawned on her face. “You see, every time a subject is exposed to the light that Timoric’s produce, it’s common to see a sharp spike of activities in those areas of the brain that process fear in the subject’s brain.” She tapped the graph, pointing out the glowing inner part of Dan’s brain. “This is where your fear seems to be stemming from, but it’s blocked. As if it was threatening to take over your mind but…something stopped it.”

Ultima thought this over, smiling at Dan. “I might know how to explain that.”

Grean looked back at Ultima, furrowing her brow. “You-ah.” Grean nodded. “You two love each other, do you not?”

Dan nodded, wrapping an arm around Ultima’s waist. “Yeah-I guess you could say that.”

Ultima rested her head against Dan’s arm. “So you’re saying that my love helped protect his brain from going into psychosis?”

“Essentially.” Grean nodded. “The fear is still there, the mental scars persist, but for now, the fear has been tamed. With time, you should recover almost completely.”

“Good. Is that all?” Ultima asked.

“Yes. Thank you both for your time. I’ll transfer the credits to your captain before you all take off. If you wish to relax before leaving, I would recommend the Aviara beaches just north of here. I’ve heard the sea air does wonders for the recovering mind and soul.”

—

The Bombers were relieved to be done with this job. At Ultima’s suggestion, they agreed that they deserved a day at the beach, the opportunity for a break greatly welcomed after the distressing days they’d experienced on Aviara.

The next day, the Starbomb parked itself on a low outcropping of rock overlooking a beach with glittering gold sand. It was as if chunks of yellow diamonds had been shrunk down and scattered across the beach in place of sand.

Those that could bounded across the sand, running into the greenish-blue waves. Holly and Ross splashed as the tide rolled in, Suzy burrowing herself into the sand, Kevin watching in slight discomfort.

Arin was still standing by the Starbomb, waiting for Ultima and Dan to come out. After a few moments, the two exited, Dan wearing a pair of swim trunks, his hair pulled back into a bun.

Ultima was wearing a strange black-bikini type thing. Arin wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew Ultima made it look incredible.

“Holy shit. Where’d you get that, uh…” Arin blinked, staring at her.

“Suzy gave it to me. She said that she grew out of it.” Ultima blushed despite herself, pulling Dan behind her to the beach.

After Arin got settled into the sand, he watched over the Bombers, his somewhat cold blooded natured cheered by the warmth of the beach. Then he noticed Dan standing at the edge of the water, staring into the waves, hands fidgeting at his sides.

Ultima placed a hand on the small of his back. “You okay?” She asked him.

Dan took a shaky breath, hands trembling. “Yeah, yeah, just…sharks. The ocean. That’s it.”

Ultima bit her lips, stepping around to stand in front of Dan. She took his hands in hers, walking backwards into the waves. “Just, focus on me.” She smiled at him, water hitting the back of her legs as Dan let her lead him further into the ocean.

He shivered as his feet met the water, the sea chilling him. Ultima squeezed his hands as they came to a stop in waist high water.

“Are you okay? Is this okay?” She asked, watching his face.

Dan looked down at the water. He let go of Ultima’s hands, and pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you.” He whispered into her ear as waves hit the pair of them, but he didn’t notice the cold.

He didn’t know, nor would he care, that since seeing the Timoric, he had been marked for greater, more terrible things. Things that would put him and Ultima in terrible danger.

None of this mattered to him in that moment, holding Ultima in his arms as cold waves crashed around them.

His heart was too warm to notice.


	17. The Demon Approaches (My Mind Is No Longer My Own, For My Body Does Not Obey Me Any Longer)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The Chapter where it happens. Soundtrack for this chapter: Breath of Life-Florence and the Machine, and Consumite Furore from the Phantasmagoria soundtrack.

After much trial and vacuuming, the Bombers were finally ready to leave Aviara. 

Apart from the credits they received from Grean, the feather Professor also gave Holly a book on avian anatomy and physiology.

Holly, of course, was ecstatic at the opportunity to story how birds moved and flew. WIth this, she predicted that she’d be able to craft a robotic version of the real thing

—

On their first night back on board the Starbomb, Dan was insistent on sleeping alone.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” He smiled, truly believing that he was free of the cloud of fear hanging over him.

“If you say so.” Ultima stood on her tip toes, pulling Dan’s head down to kiss his forehead.

Ultima returned to her cabin, sitting down on the edge of her mattress. She was wearing a simple camisole and soft cotton pajama shorts, the white articles of clothing intended for sleep a stark contrast to her tanned skin.

Arin looked up from where he was sitting on Ultima’s bed. He had been reviewing the debriefing report from their Aviara job, electing to read it in Ultima’s cabin. He was sitting up against the headboard of her bed, copious pillows supporting him as he leaned back.

Ultima sighed heavily, lifting a comb up to start the tedious process of detangling her hair. Arin set the report aside, taking the comb from her hand.

“Here, let me.” He murmured, running the comb through her locks of black hair. Once her long black tresses were free of tangles and knots, Arin threaded his fingers into her hair, twisting and tying it into an intricate braided updo-the whole of Ultima’s hair resting above her shoulders.

As he braided her hair so, Arin would take the opportunity to press small, quick kisses to the nape of Ultima’s neck.

She sighed, relaxing as a thought came to her. “Arin?” She asked, not moving her head as he continued working.

“Yes?” He murmured again, placing the last of the stray strand of hair into place.

“Where’d you learn to braid hair like this?” She reached up, fingers feeling around and marvelling at the state of her hair now.

Arin hugged her from behind, arms wrapping around her shoulders. “Same place where I learned ropework.” He whispered into her ear, growling undertones evident in his voice.

Arin released her shoulders,laying back down on the bed.

Ultima turned to stare at him. “That still doesn’t answer my question.” She protested.

Arin bit his lip, looking over at Ultima. “It’s…something I picked up. As a soldier.” His face was clouded by the memories that were dredged up of that time in his life and he turned from her.

Ultima leaned forward, placing a hand on Arin’s cheek, turning his face back towards her. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.” She kissed him softly, holding his face in her hands.

Arin reciprocated, clawed hands grabbing Ultima’s hips. Then his kiss became more urgent, Arin growling against Ultima’s lips as he pushed her back into the mattress, gently. Always gently.

The two lovers fell into each other, red, orange, and yellow stars filling the room as Arin’s loving knots twined Ultima’s wrists together.

—

Afterwards, Ultima fell asleep in Arin’s arms. Her mind was at rest, dreams free of terror.

Not all the Bombers were so lucky.

While she slept, Dan was in his cabin, writhing in his sheets in his sleep. Cold sweat drenched his sheets, making his clothes stick to his feverish skin.

He dreamed in a nightmarish way thusly: he was on a lifeboat bobbing in a black sea.

Dan and Ultima were clinging to each other as waves rocked the tiny boat, inky water drenching the.

“Hold on, Ultima!” Dan cried, holding onto her tightly.

“Dan!” She screamed over the sound of the rapidly growing storm. “You have to let me go, I can control these waves, I can stop this storm!”

Dan was about to protest, but a great black wave reared up and slamed the boat down, shattering it into so much driftwood.

Ultima and Dan somehow managed to find a long piece of wood to hold onto, a momentary respite from the chaos.

But they wouldn’t have long to rest.

All at once, the sea around them began swirling into a spiral, a whirlpool threatening to pull them in. Before they could be sucked into the inky depths, Dan grabbed onto a strange pillar of rock jutting out of the ocean, Ultima clinging onto his arm for dear life.

The more they resisted, the stronger the whirlpool’s pull became, determined to drag the two into the depths.

“Dan! You have to let me go, save yourself!” Ultima begged, her grip on Dan’s hand slipping.

“No! Ultima, I can save us both! We’re getting out of this together!” Dan cried, tears streaming down his face, lost in the waters of the ocean.

“I won’t drag you down with me, Dan!” She started loosening her grip on his arm.

“Ultima, please! Don’t do this!” He sobbed.

“I love you.” She smiled despite their circumstances. “I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes, letting go of Dan’s arm completely.

“No!” Dan screamed as Ultima was pulled into the black waters, disappearing beneath the waves.

When he tried to let go of the rock to go after Utlima, he found that his hand was stuck to the stone.

In terror, Dan watched as thin black tendrils grew from the rock, covering his arm in the terrible growth, rooting him to the spot.

His ragged screams echoed across the unfeeling ocean and-

—

-emerged as bloodcurdling shrieks in the real world as he woke up.

Immediately, Barry set off a shrill alarm throughout the ship, jolting everyone out of their sleep.

“Barry!” Arin roared, jumping out of bed, claws at the ready to fight. “Put up the shields!”

“Hold on, I have to make sure about, wait, Arin!” Barry panicked, frantically trying to explain what was happening.

Through the chaos, Ultima heard the terrified screams coming from Dan’s cabin, and her blood chilled in her veins. Leaping out of bed, she sprinted into the hallway, pushing past the group of confused, but battle ready crew members that had assembled in the hallway.

Ultima slid into Dan’s doorway, her feet sliding on the cool white floor as she stared on in terrified sympathy.

Dan lay on the floor of his cabin, screaming and holding his head in his hands, kicking and thrashing the sheets about, still trapped in the throes of terror of his nightmare.

“Dan. Dan!” Ultima urged, kneeling beside Dan. She reached out and managed to grab  hold of his shoulder.

As soon as she touched his shoulder, her voice seemed to reach through to him as well, and Dan opened his eyes, body going still, calmed by her presence.

He looked up at her, eyes raw and red. “Ultima?” He whimpered, violently shaking hands outstretched to her. “You’re alive?”

“Yes, of course I am-” Before she could finish replying, Dan threw himself into her lap, hands grabbing onto her arms tightly, sobbing violently.

The rest of the Bombers stood in the doorway, watching as Dan practically had a mental breakdown in Ultima’s arms.

Ultima closed her eyes, trying to stay strong, despite the inner turmoil she felt at seeing Dan like this. “Barry?” She asked, looking at the wall as Barry hologrammed in.

“Y-yeah?” He replied, worry in his digitized voice.

“Look up everything you can find on remedies for nightmares, and…” She looked down at Dan as he shook in her arms, unwilling to part with her. “Run a hot bath for Dan.”

—

Getting Dan to take a bath was harder than trying to hogtie a snake. Despite the fact that he could not sleep in the clothes he was wearing now, he refused to let go of Ultima, hugging her tightly.

He shook his head, tightening his grip on her slim form. “No, no! I won’t go in by myself.”

“Dan, please. As your Captain, I recommend that you get into this tub, now.” Arin reasoned, ready to lose his patience with Dan, but fighting to be understanding.

“Dan?” Ultima suggested, looking up at him. “If I stay in the bathroom with you, will you at least get in the water?”

Dan sniffed, thinking it over. “I guess that’s okay.”

And so, this was the story of how Ultima saw Dan naked for the first time.

“You know, when I was picturing this moment in my head, this is not how I would have wanted it to happen.” Dan admitted, looking over at Ultima over the edge of the tub.

“You’ve thought about this?” Ultima asked, laughing nervously.

“Yeah. I mean, why wouldn’t I?” Dan asked. Since getting into the tub, he had calmed down considerably, the warmth replacing the cold that had seeped into his body thanks to his nightmare.

“I guess that makes sense. You done?” She passed a towel over to him, closing her eyes as he stood up out of the water.

“Hey, I’m not that skinny. I’ve got some abs.” Dan joked as Ultima rolled her eyes at him.

“Abs? Where did the other four cans go? Cause I’m only seeing two.” She replied, laughing as they exited the bathroom.

There was a short knock at the door, Ross’s voice sounding through it. “Hey, I’ve got Dan’s stuff cleaned.”

“Come on in.” Dan called out, the door sliding open.

“Here-oh Jesus!” Ross shouted, covering his eyes with his hands, dropping what he’d been carrying. “Why did you say I could come in?” He exclaimed.

“I’m wearing a towel!” Dan replied, going over to pick up his cleaned sheets and pajamas. “Thanks for the pjs.”

“Yeah, whatever, just, shit…deleting mental image…” Ross muttered as he left the room, the door sliding closed behind him.

Dan gave a hearty laugh, changing into his pajamas as Ultima turned away. “Oh man, that’s hysterical.”

“What?” She asked, looking back to help Dan make his bed.

“I don’t usually get to one up Ross like that. Smarmy bastard.” He sighed, settling into his bed for the night.

Ultima crawled in beside him, Dan wrapping a long arm around her waist. He stared into her eyes. If he was looking for something, he couldn’t say what it was for sure.

“What is it?” She asked Dan, whispering.

“Just…” He sighed, kissing her forehead. “That nightmare I had. It’s so hard to believe that it wasn’t real.”

“Dan, I’m right here. This is reality, I promise you.”

He opened his eyes, staring at her. “How? How do I know that this is real at all? That you’re real?”

“I am real.” Ultima whispered, leaning up to kiss Dan’s neck. “I can prove it to you.” She murmured, carefully biting on his Adam’s apple.

When she did so, Dan made the most unholy of moans, and his body trembled as he melted into her touch. He tilted his head back, the planes of his throat a canvas for the paintbrush that was her mouth.

—

When she was finished, Dan had a series of bruises decorating the skin of his neck and throat, physical proof of Ultima’s affection for him.

“Woah.” Dan breathed, staring into the distance.

“What is it? Are you okay?” Ultima asked, brushing hair out of Dan’s face.

“I’m fine, I’m just…” He breathed out, shaking his head as weariness descended on his mind.

“Damn. We haven’t even slept together yet. All I did was give you a few hickeys.” Ultima replied.

“And that’s okay. Can I sleep? That really tired me out.” He closed his eyes.

“Yeah. Go to sleep. I’ll be right here if you need me.” Ultima promised.

—

Barry did manage to locate a sort of cure for nightmares, but It would take the Bombers another night to reach the producer of this remedy.

Unfortunately for Dan, this gave him plenty of time to have another harrowing nightmare.

In this case, he and Ultima were trapped in the crumbling ruins of what appeared to be a mansion. On top of all this, the structure was also on fire, the flames threatening to bring the two of them down to ashes.

“We’re, almost, there.” Dan coughed, Ultima holding onto his hands tightly, covering her mouth with her sleeve to avoid breathing in smoke. They’d been through a messy and tiring battle, but Ultima was bearing most of the exhaustion between the two, visibly battered and bruised from whatever they’d been fighting previously.

But hope was in their reach!

They broke through into a long hallway, the exit sign glowing like a lighthouse at the end.

“Come on. Just a few more feet, then we’re home-” Dan began, a rallying cry to bolster Ultima’s spirits.

Out of nowhere, the walls of the hallway seemed to explode with flame, the fire bursting in, surrounding him and Ultima on all sides.

“Shit!” Dan coughed, watching the fire rapidly move to engulf them. Then the flames stopped.

Ultima was holding her hand out in front of her, the flames moving around them as if they were in an invisible glass dome that was impervious to fire.

“Let’s go.” Ultima groaned through gritted teeth, taking slow, steady steps towards the exit, her yellow gem glowing and popping like a live wire as Dan stayed close behind her.

A thin trail of blood came out of both of her nostrils as they neared the end of the hallway. The shield around them seemed to falter, flames managing to reach in for a second before being pushed back.

“Dan.” Ultima gasped, stopping. “I only have enough energy to send you through the fire with a shield big enough for one person.”

“Ultima, no. We can make it through, together!” He pulled on her sleeve, the shield rapidly deteriorating around them.

“Dan, trust me. Take the shield, make your way to safety. If anyone comes out of this alive, it should be you.” Before he could reply, Ultima groaned in effort, creating a shield around Dan, the force of her power pushing Dan out of the building.

Dan looked up and screamed in agony as the burning building collapsed in around Ultima, burning away Dan’s love.

—

When he woke up, Ultima comforted Dan in the same way as before. While Arin and Holly left to grab the nightmare remedy from the supplier, Ultima stayed with Dan,  grabbing some breakfast with him after he got dressed.

Arin walked in, and without saying anything, placed a large bottle of what looked like black wine on the table in front of Dan.

“Is this the cure?” He asked, picking up the bottle.

“If the label tells the truth, yeah.” Arin sighed, pulling a chair out to sit down. Dan turned the bottle over in his hand, labeled with a sticker that read: ‘Dr. Reeves Miracle Cauchemar Elixir.’

“Yes, this definitely looks trustworthy.” Dan chuckled. “How does it work?”

“It takes away your dreams. But only for nights where you have nightmares. If you have a nightmare while drinking it before going to bed, then you won’t remember it in the morning.” Arin elaborated.

“But I’ll still be freaked out?” Dan inquired.

“Essentially. Reeves said that having emotional support in the waking world would help the elixir work its’ magic faster, you know, to get rid of the nightmares.” Arin finalized. “You gonna try it out?”

“Yeah. Tonight.” Dan replied

—

And it was so. When it came time to go to sleep, Dan took a small sip from the bottle, the weirdly sweet elixir immediately numbing his brain. He closed the bottle and set it on his bedside table, falling into a deep, deep sleep.

As such, Ultima decided that it wasn’t necessary for her to stay in Dan’s cabin that night, and went back to her own cabin to fall asleep, alone.

Everyone on the ship needed to take a mental health break.

—

The elixir worked-but the fear was still present in Dan’s head, and The First God took this opportunity to act. First, the First God descended over the Starbomb, targeting Barry’s security systems, creating the illusion of a sleeping Dan in the AI’s vision.

Dan jolted awake, his leg twitching up when he was pulled harshly into consciousness. And Dan was immediately aware of one thing: there was someone standing at the foot of his bed.

He dashed out of bed, falling to the floor, scrambling away from the figure. “The fuck?” He shouted, blindly reaching for the blaster on his bedside table. The figure stared at him, eyes glowing in the dark. “Who the hell are you?” Danny demanded, pointing his blaster at the figure.

“You know exactly who I am.” The figure finally spoke, voice measured in a smooth rumble, like gravelly water running over jagged rocks. “And you know why I’m here.”

Dan squinted at the figure, then his eyes grew wide. “Wh-what do you want from me?”

“Dear Daniel, don’t you recognize your creator when you see him?” A sick grin spread across Firsts’ face. “I’m here, because I know how you feel about Ultima.” He gestured a bone pale finger at Dan’s bruises on his neck. “And I know how much you want her.”

“What do you mean?” Dan stalled, hands shaking.

“I see inside your mind-as I can with anything I created.” First continued, slowly stalking towards Dan. “And you are not enough for her.”

“What? Shut the hell up! You don’t know anything about what me and Ultima have!” He tried to be brave, unable to hide the tremble in his voice.

First chuckled, now standing over Dan, towering and terrifying. “And you believe in that fantasy? That childish hope that the Daughter of the Cosmos will want you-an altogether unremarkable human after she’s experienced true passion with that Raptilian mutant?”He threw back his head, his laughter sending a thrill of dread through Dan.

When he was done laughing, he bent down, bringing his face close to Dan’s. Dan cringed, turning his head away and squeezing his eyes shut. Firsts’ breath smelled like death. “I can help you win her affections.”

But Dan refused to acknowledge Firsts’ words, trying to ignore all that was happening. Then Dan felt two intensely cold fingers under his chin, tilting his head up to meet First’s gaze.

“Look at me.” First growled, threat implicit.

Dan slowly opened his eyes, meeting First’s gaze. He tried to be stoic, steeling his reslove “I don’t need to win Ultima. She already loves me-and just for me. I don’t care if we never have sex as long as we have that.”

Another growling laugh ruptured out of First’s throat. “Surely you jest! Foolish Daniel, you play at being a sexual god, but you have no idea what such power truly feels like.”

That was the final blow, and Dan knew he wouldn’t win this battle. “Why me?” He whimpered, weariness settling in his mind when he realized what was going to happen.

First grinned, his form slowly transforming into a choking, flowing darkness. “Because I created you for this purpose.”

Dan stood up, surrounded in the black cloud that First had turned into, the smoke invading him through his mouth and eyes, a scream fighting its’ way up his throat, only to be pushed back by cloying smoke.

He felt himself losing control of his own mind. Dan struggled to lift an arm up, only to have it brought down to his side, his body now standing rigid, no longer under his own control.

Then, that terrible voice- blending with Dan’s as First finished moving into the mansion that was Dan’s body. It spoke thusly: “I’m going to have so much fun with you.” Dan felt like it was all over, the voice whispering into his ear as terrible imagery filled his vision-all the ways that the other Daughters had been seduced and destroyed by First, and Dan felt a tear-the last human tear he would ever shed-sliding down his cheek. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like demon dan possession, huh?


	18. In The Age of Willfully Decadent Indulgence (Cookies Never Tasted So Good)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're the taste of happy, Dan.

“Has anyone seen Dan?” Ultima asked, looking around at the Bombers assembled for breakfast.

Arin looked up from his coffee. “I guess he’s still asleep. That nightmare junk must have really knocked him out.”

“I’ll check on him. I wanna make sure he didn’t slip into a coma.” Ultima replied, standing up.

She walked down a few short hallways to Dan’s cabin, walking into the doorway. She gently knocked on the wall. “Hey Dan. You awake in there?”

Dan was laying down on his bed, curled up under the sheets. He turned to Ultima, grinning in a way that could have either been beguiling or psychotic. “Hey.” He greeted her, First already had a firm grasp on Dan’s mannerisms.

Ultima was relieved to see that Dan was feeling better. “Are you up for some breakfast? Everyone’s anxious to see how you’re doing.”

Dan stood and walked towards Ultima, standing inches from her, his face kissing distance away from hers. “Breakfast. Yeah, sounds good.” He pulled his face away from hers, turning to walk towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, he was facing the wrong way.

“Uh, Dan?” She called at him.

“What?” He looked back at her.

“The kitchens are this way.” She explained, furrowing her brow at him.

“Right, yeah, I knew that.” He laughed, waving it off.

Ultima kept a close eye on Dan as they walked towards the kitchen, genuinely worried about how he was feeling. She made a mental note to check the bottle of elixir for its side effects.

Upon arriving at breakfast, Dan immediately set to making precisely six pieces of toast for himself.

“Do we have any jam?” He called back, looking through a cabinet of foodstuffs.

“Jam?” Arin asked. “We should. Why do you-”

“What about honey? Do we have honey? And butter?”

“Yeah, of course.” Arin replied as Dan started gathering ingredients. “What the hell are you making?”

“What? You gonna get on my case for having a sweet tooth? Let me have this?” Dan playfully defended himself.

“I wasn’t-” Arin sighed, watching as Dan started placing an unhealthy amount of strawberry jam and butter on several pieces of toast.

Dan proceeded to eat an entire loaf of toast on his own, covering each of the twenty four slices of bread in gratuitous amounts of honey, jam, and butter.

After he was done, the Bombers stared at him in a mixture of disgust and amazement. Kevin, Arin, and Suzy might rip into their food messily, but watching someone like Dan eating that much bread and butter and sugar was not something any of them wanted to see.

Dan yawned, wiping his mouth of bread crumbs and jam smears. “That was good. Well, I’m gonna go take a nap.” He stood up, moving back to the door. “Hey Barry?”

“Yeah?” Barry asked.

“Try to see if you can find any place that we can get old Earth pastries from. I’m feeling homesick.” First spoke through Dan, lying smoothly.

“Sure. Do you, uh, have any specific things you’re looking for?”

Dan thought for a moment. “Chocolate chip cookies. I’ve got a craving.” He smiled, leaving the kitchens and a confused group of Bombers behind as he went to his own cabin. 


	19. The Consequences of Necessary Gluttony (The Soul Was Willing, But The Body Is Suffering)

The moment Dan entered his cabin, he made a mad dash for the bathroom. 

He barely made it to the toilet, and as soon as he did, he started vomiting violently, the contents of his breakfast sloshing into the water.

Then First re-exerted control over Dan’s body, throwing his head back in an effort to stop the vomiting.

When two minds occupy one body, it’s a lot like two people trying to drive the same car.

When Dan and First and fought for control over Dan’s body, it was like two people arguing in one vehicle, the car stuttering along the road, unable to decide on whether to speed ahead, or to stop completely.

Which was precisely why First was so angry at Dan’s body for it’s natural reaction to eating that much food so fast.

“What are you doing?” First growled, cursing the sensitivity of this body.

“I don’t want this!” Dan’s consciousness protested, a second soul in one body. “Did you really think I could eat that much crap at once and not throw it up?” To prove his point, Dan retched again, the last remaining contents of his breakfast spilling into the toilet.

“You foolish being!” First countered. “We need that sustenance!”

“Why? What could you possibly need to eat that much for!”

First chuckled, wiping vomit from Dan’s lips. “You need the energy. I have to make some…modifications to your form.” First stood up, walking to the sink. He stared into the mirror, giving Dan a chance to see his plans.

Dan reflection warped, dark marks appearing under Dan’s eyes, two curved horns emerging from his temples. They looked like rams’ horns, a strange mixture of dark red and black. Dan recoiled from the image, First grinning.

“What is it, Daniel? Do you not like what you’ll become?” First teased.

“You won’t get away with this!” Dan said. “Everyone will be able to see the horns! They’ll know something’s wrong!”

“Oh please. Don’t be so ignorant, Daniel. I didn’t come this far without the power of illusion on my side. Your body, our body, no, my body will change, but no one else will be able to see it-unless I wish them to.”  

Dan’s mind raced to reason. “This is still my body-it was mine first! I can’t keep eating this much crap-we’ll just keep throwing it up.”

“Then suffer.” First growled. A fantastically terrible pressure began building at Dan’s temples. First grinned through the pain, the section of the mind what was still Dan’s writhing in agony.

“Stop it!” Dan railed against the hold First had on his mind. “What are you doing?”

“If you will not allow me to make my changes to our body slowly, and with the proper nourishment, then I will have to change it by force.”

Dan’s contorted itself as First began forcing physical changes on it. Within seconds, Dan relented.

“Wait, stop!” He begged First.

“Finally willing to listen to reason?” First asked, Dan’s body going still.

“Let me make a deal with you.” Dan asked. “I’ll eat anything you want-but not as solids.”

“How else would you consume such things?”

“Blended. It’s not the most elegant option, but milkshakes and smoothies will make it easier on my stomach.”

First mulled this over. “Very well.” First reclaimed control of Dan’s body, walking back to Dan’s bed. “I can agree to your terms. But for now…” First took the bottle of black liquid on Dan’s nightstand. He took a hearty swig of the stuff, reveling in the taste of it, the effect it had on his brain. “Sleep.” First sighed, falling flat onto Dan’s bed. He didn’t curl up, or burrow into the blankets as Dan was wont to do.

When the Bombers looked back on these events, this would be one of many warning signs that they would regret not having caught at first glance. 


	20. Not Feeling Like Myself (I'm Better Than I Was)

“So you’re telling me that there are two people on board who can control fire?“ Ultima asked.

"Well, I can breathe it, but I wouldn’t count that as controlling it.” Arin shrugged.

“Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?

“Still, think of all the ways we could take people out with that!” Ultima excitedly began.

“What do you mean?” Arin asked warily.

“Your could breathe a big wall of fire out, and I could move it around and use it like a weapon!” Ultimas’ mind got to racing.

Arin nodded, mulling it over. “You know, it’s only just occurred to me, but you’ve never really had time to just…practice you’re powers, have you?”

She paused, looking over at him. “No, not really. I mean, there’s not a lot of room for me to do it anywhere on board.” She ran her fingers along the three gems on her neck. “And fire isn’t something that I can just throw around here.” She sighed, laying back on her bed. “There aren’t any planets around that are just-empty?”

“I can think of a few, but if you really wanna just practice for a while, then we can stop off on planets between missions. Yeah. Yeah.” Arin smiled. “We can make this work.”

—

The Bombers got used to moving from planet to planet, appreciating the opportunity to relax after so much chaos in their lives.

To protect this peace, Ultima would often practice her powers in open clearings, separated from the rest of the Bombers. She didn’t want to accidentally send a boulder or a plume of fire towards the Starbomb, hoping to practice her powers in safety and isolation.

Dan approached Ultima during one such time, watching as she threw plumes of fire around herself.

She spun on one foot, throwing her arm out, shooting fire out into the air around her in an arc. She finished the movement, breathing heavily. When Ultima opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a smiling Dan, and she blushed despite herself. “Uh…hi.”

“You’re-shit. That’s awesome.” Dan complimented as Ultima stood up.

“Thanks. It’s draining, but, I do what I can.” She reached down to pick up her water bottle, shaking it open. She swore softly.

“Out of water?” Dan asked, offering her the bottle that he was holding.

She took the bottle from him, barely taking a sip of it before her eyes widened and she turned to spit it out. “Oh my-what is this?” Ultima wiped her mouth, staring up at Dan. “Is this sugar water?”

Dan smirked. “Sensitive palette. Not quite, though. It’s just jam, chocolate milk, honey, and…ice cream. Blueberry, I believe.”

Ultima stared at the liquid she’d spit onto the ground. “It-has the consistency of water.”

Dan shrugged, taking the bottle back from Ultima. “The Starbomb has an incredible blender.”

Ultima stared at Dan with dismay settling on her features. “Dan. Do you seriously like-wh-why are you drinking that?”

“I like it. Isn’t that reason enough?” He defended.

Ultima shook her head. “Dan, Barry told me what happened to you after you-.” She sighed again, distress building in her voice. “Do you not care about taking care of yourself? After everything you’ve been through, you’re just gonna let yourself go?” She stared into his face, troubled by what the implications of that were.

First struggled for a moment, hating what he would have to do. Dan’s presence screamed in the back of his mind, desperate to make some sort of contact with Ultima. Dans’ face twisted into an apology, reaching forward to hug Ultima. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve sacrificed a lot to help me get back to normal.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”

She pushed away from him. “That’s all well and good. But I need to see you act on that.” Ultima pulled on her Bomber jacket, turning from him. “It’s like you left a piece of yourself back on Aviara. And now you’re not even trying to get back to normal. It’s like you don’t want to be yourself anymore.” Ultima finished, leaving Dan behind.

“That’s just it.” Dan’s tiny voice sounded from the back of Firsts’ mind. While First controlled the outward appearance, Dan could still postulate and experience all that First did, and he wanted more than anything to reach out to Ultima, to scream for help. “I’m not myself at all.” Dan whispered, heard by no one.


	21. You're Not As Transparent As You Think You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Certainly took her long enough.

Three weeks after Ultima confronted Dan about his unseemly appetite, his habits seemed to be changing for the better.

To the rest of the crew it looked like Dan was becoming more like himself again, the truth could not be more opposed to the truth. First was a being that worked quickly when he had to, and he wasted almost no time in trying to assimilate himself further into Dan’s mind.

One night, First came across Ultima sitting in the ShipGarden, hands resting on her knees as she stared into space. Her eyes were closed, and her legs were crossed underneath her.

First cleared Dan’s throat, walking forward. “Hey.”

Ultima blinked, turning to look at Dan. “Hey. How are you holding up?”

“Ultima, it’s been, what, a few weeks now? I’m fine.” Dan reassured, sitting beside her.

“Yeah. You look better. But I meant up here.” She gently poked his forehead. “Everything cool up there?”

First nodded, chuckling. “Of course. Why shouldn’t I be?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “You’ve been through a lot. We all have, but it’s just like you’ve been getting the brunt of it.” She looked back at him. “And not just in this universe.”

“Not just in this universe?”

“When I absorbed the yellow gem, I could out of nowhere, remember all of the nightmares that I’d been having since before we went to Aviara. And-they’re not nightmares.”

First halted, remembering the powers that the yellow goddess had. Future sight-the ability to look into multiple parallel existences’-both past, present and future. He wasn’t sure if she could see him-but he was far too confident in his own abilities. “No? What are they?”

“They’re windows into parallel universes-different possibilities for the past, present, and future. But it’s like…they were all so focused on you. Like for whatever reason, the Goddesses singled you out specifically to put you through some sort of trauma.” She sighed, looking out towards space.

“Huh. That’s…weird.” Dan replied, looking out at the stars with her.

“Just weird? Doesn’t that freak you out at all?” Ultima asked, looking back at him.

“Ultima, you can’t control the future. Just focus on the now, and think about the rest of that when the time comes.” Dan shrugged.

She sighed again, closing her eyes. “Thanks. I’m just…” She turned to him, running her fingers through his hair. “Happy that you’re okay now.”

Ultima stopped, her hand running across Dan’s hairline again, feeling something there. “Dan…” She paused, grabbing a hold of something that felt particularly dense around Dan’s temples.

First yanked his head away. “What? No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He shook his head.

Ultima reached out to him again, placing a hand on his forehead. “Dan. There are horns on your head. But I don’t see-” She pulled away, staring at him, realization finally dawning on her face. “You’re not Dan. What are you?” 


	22. For One Night Only (Answers Given)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therapeutic sex. That's a common theme in this fic, actually. Later on ;).

Ultima stood up, facing Dan as he slowly rose to his feet. “Ultima, it’s me, it’s Dan.”

She shook her head, pulling the blaster from her hip. She pointed it at him. “No you’re not. Whatever you are, I don’t care. Get out of him.”

“Be careful with that.” First urged, holding his hands out. “Last daughter.”

“The First God?” She asked, tilting her head at him. “How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

“Because I would never deceive you. I’m here to make you a deal.” First reasoned. “I’ll keep Daniel safe. I can save him from the pain you fear will find him.”

“Then let me make you a counter offer. On my conditions.” She replied, lowering the blaster. “Get out of his body for the night.”

“Very well. In exchange for what you ask, I only require a few drops of your blood.” First said.

“My blood is worth more than just that. I want information.” Ultima holstered the blaster on her hip. “Follow me. If we’re going to discuss this, we’ll do it in Dan’s room. And you’re not gonna touch anyone else on this ship, got it?”

“Yes, yes.” First snapped, eager and impatient.

Ultima took First’s hand, leading him out of the garden and into the outer hallway.

When they got to Dan’s room, Ultima made First sit on Dan’s bed. She stood back, leaning against the wall across from Dan’s bed.

“Why Dan?” She asked First, crossing her arms.

First laughed. “It was never his choice. I created him, all those eons ago-just as the Goddesses created you.

“So you’ve been planning this since the literal beginning? What else have you had a hand in with him?”

“Oh, a great deal of things.” First shrugged. “It is not my fault that Dan continually allows other beings to possess his body. It was built for that purpose. Do you recall the being you encountered on Earth?”

“The red goddesses’ other half…” Her hands strayed to the scars on her neck. “You’re the one who corrupted it?”

“It truly wasn’t so difficult.” First sighed, examining his nails. “But I didn’t expect it to find you for me.” He grinned, looking up at her. “But the Timoric. Now that did the job quite nicely.”

“You created that too?”

“Of course. Daniel’s body may have been ready for me. But his mind needed the right conditioning.” First chuckled. “Such childish fears. But you, my dear, were such a source of comfort for him.”

“And my nightmares? Did you have a part to play in those as well?” Ultima felt uneasy that First had a part to play in so much of Dan’s misfortunes.

First’s face darkened. “No. Your dreams are visions-windows into parallel universes, multiple possibilities for the future. I cannot see what you see.”

Ultima swallowed back the knot that was forming in her throat. “Fine. And his nightmares, his fear, was caused by the Timoric?”

“Yes. Was that the information that you required?” First tapped his fingers impatiently on his knee.

Ultima deliberated, trying to see what else she could ask about. But she couldn’t get her mind off of what Dan must be feeling, trapped inside his own body. “No. That’s all. I just wanted to-never mind.” She walked to her nightstand, grabbing an empty bottle of water. “Can you stay inside this for the night?”

First sighed, staring at the bottle. “If it appeases you, then yes. But first, your blood.”

Ultima sighed, turning to walk to the bathroom. “Do you need a lancet, or…”

First shook his head, reaching out for her hand. “Just your hand.” First turned her hand over, pressing a finger to the center of her palm. There was no pain to be felt, just a pull from her palm as something vital was taken from her.

Once First pulled his hand away, black smoke started coming out of Dan’s mouth, and he coughed violently. His back arched out as he fell onto the bed, the black smoke filling up the water bottle.

Ultima covered her face, quickly screwing the lid shut on the water bottle. “Dan?”

Dan sobbed, pulling up the covers on the bed. “Don’t look at me. I don’t want you to see me.”

She kneeled down on her bed, pulling the covers off. “Dan!” She pulled the covers off and found Dan, without the illusion First had cast over him.

A pair of curled horns had emerged from Dan’s temples, the tips of them stopping just before his chin. He had a pair of dark markings beginning to edge down from his eyes, already halfway down his cheeks.

“No! Look at what he’s done to me.” Dan sobbed, hugging Ultima tightly.

Ultima placed her hand on the back of his head, kissing the top of his hair. “I’ll get you out of this Dan. I promise.”

“I’m just so happy to have you back.” He sobbed, closing his eyes. “I love you. I love you so much?”

“I love you too, Dan.” She kissed him softly, holding his face in her hands. Stars began lifting from her skin as she held him close, Dan clinging to her shoulders. “Do you want to-” She asked, pulling back to stare into his eyes.

“Yes.” Dan whispered, nodding enthusiastically. He sniffed, leaning up to kiss Ultima as she gently helped him lay back on the bed.

—

Afterwards, Ultima held Dan close, running a hand through his hair. “Are you okay?” She asked him.

He nodded, closing his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah.” He sniffed. “I’m so tired, Ultima.”

“I know. I’m here for you.” She pulled his hair back and looked down at his neck. There was a small spiral mark there, the same that was now on Arin’s neck. “I’ll always be there for you.”


	23. True Nightmare (When You Can't Save The One You Love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Implied suicide in this chapter.

“What happens now?” Dan asked, closing his eyes.

“First didn’t say how long one night was. I’m assuming he meant for as long as we’re both awake.” She sat up, walking into the shower.

“What are you doing?” Dan asked.

“If we only have one night, we have to act fast.” She walked back to where Dan was laying on the bed, dressed, with her hair up in a bun. “Get dressed.” He did so, having some trouble with the shirt, as it didn’t quite fit over his horns.

Dan had very little energy as it was. A diet consistent on sugars and nothing else will wreak havoc on one’s digestion, and as a result, his strength left him when First did.

Ultima hoisted his arm over her shoulder, helping him walk out of the bedroom and into the hallway. As an afterthought, she grabbed the water bottle First was trapped in and tucked it into her belt

Barry shimmered into pixelated existence next to Dan and Ultima. “What’s happened to Dan?” He asked.

“Body snatching. Don’t worry, I got the alien out.” She pointed to the bottle on her belt, continuing to walk forward with Dan struggling to keep his eyes open.

“What are you planning to do?” Barry asked as the three entered the area where the Starbomb stored escape pods.

“I’m-” Ultima began speaking. As soon as they crossed the threshold into the escape pod storage room, Dan groaned, fainting, slipping out of Ultima’s arms.

On his way down, he knocked the bottle out of Ultima’s belt, the smoke of First funneling out of the neck of the bottle and into Dan’s body.

“Dan!” She shouted. The doors behind her slammed shut, Barry disappearing into the wall. “Barry!”

“I can’t reopen the escape pod bay doors! Something’s blocking my systems!” Barry panicked over the ship’s PA.

“Wake everyone up!” She shouted, banging on the glass of the doors that led to the rest of the ship.

“There’s no need to.” First grinned, standing up. Ultima turned to watch in terror as First stood up in Dan’s body, anger and fury in his eyes. “You’ve brought us to a very dangerous part of this ship, Ultima. It’s a pity I need you alive. I would so-” He screeched in pain, grabbing onto the left side of his neck.

“The mark…” She breathed.

“You vile woman!” He grimaced. “You’ve tainted the Vessel!” First screeched in frustration, Dan’s body twitching as he and First struggled for control.

Arin and the Bombers thundered into the hallway, nothing they or Barry could do as First attempted to kidnap Ultima

“Ultima! What the fuck-” Arin screeched, tail spiking out.

“Run! Find some way to-” She shouted in response, evading First’s lunging grasps toward her.

She pulled the blaster from her belt, pointing it at First. He grabbed the barrel of the gun the melting warping and melting in Ultima’s hands.

It finalized into the shape of a long knife, Ultima letting go of the blade once it began digging into her skin.

“I thought you needed me unharmed, you dick!” She screamed.

“I never said that I could go undefended!” He lunged forward with the knife, Ultima sidestepping out of the way. She knocked the blade out of his hands, grabbing the knife. Her momentum on the way down knocked her back, First straddling her hips as he grabbed the knife.

Ultima held the long blade up, defending herself from the First possessed Dan before a terribly risky idea came to her.  

She flipped the blade around, First grabbing hold of it as he held it a hair’s breadth off of her neck.

“It’s okay.” She whispered, reaching up to touch Dan’s face. “I know you’re in there.” Her fingers strayed on the spiral on his neck, fingers fluttering along the curves of the tattoo. The blade pressed further into her skin, a trickle of goldish blood beginning to flow out of her. “I love you.” She murmured, tracing the spiral out from its’ center, her voice straining to speak the words.

As she did so, Dan’s face twitched, his body convulsing. The blade fell from his hands, and he arched back, the black smoke erupting from his throat.

First coalesced nearby, the smoke seemingly confused as to where to go.

Dan fell forward on top of Ultima, a thin trail of black liquid lining his lips. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered, sobbing.

The smoke flew forward to Arin. Arin screeched as First tried to take hold of his body, and the mark on Arin’s neck seemed to glow with a bright flash of  light.

First screeched, leaving Arin’s body again, now just a mass of vaguely humanoid smoke. “You’re tainted!” He screamed at Arin. “Half man. Half breed!” This last screech echoed out as the smoke flew to the window that separated the inside of the ship from space, Ultima and Dan slowly standing up.

“Come on. I need a medic!” She replied. Ultima took Dan’s hand, the doors opening to let them rejoin the Bombers. But as she walked past the threshold, Dan let go of Ultima’s hand, staying back.

The doors shut behind her. Dan walked to the set of buttons that would open the airlock and release him into space.

“Dan!” She shouted, turning around and pressing her hands to the glass.

“The doors are still unresponsive!” Barry shouted, trying everything he could to stop Dan.

Dan keyed in the sequence of numbers that would open the door, crying as he turned to the Bombers. He walked up to the glass that separated him from Ultima, pressing his hands to the glass.

“I’m sorry.” He mouthed, silent tears rolling down his face. “I love you.” He mouthed, the doors behind him opening.

Ultima screamed as the man she’d fought so hard to protect was wrenched into the dark vacuum of space. 


	24. Friends In Hidden Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deus Ex Machina

“No!” Ultima banged on the glass, sliding to the ground. 

“I couldn’t save him.” She blubbered, holding her face in her hands.

“I-” Arin knelt beside her, holding her close. “I’m sorry, Ultima.” He tried to keep his voice steady, unable to hide the tremor evident in his voice.

“He’s-he’s gone.” Barry stated.

“We kno-” Suzy whispered.

“No, I mean, his body isn’t outside of the ship.” Barry explained.

“What?” Ultima sniffed, looking up at ceiling.

“I could see him for a second after he-” Barry paused, trying to be considerate. “But then it was like this mass of black just blotted him out and he was gone afterwards.”

“Then-” Ultima was cut off again as Barry’s proximity alarm systems started going haywire.

“Is there a ship incoming?” Kevin stood up, looking to Barry.

“I don’t see anything on my monitors, but the alarm systems must be malfunctioning.” Barry tried to explain, searching for the flaw in his systems.

“Guys-” Ross nudged Ultima’s shoulder, pointing to the opened airlock.

A large black mass had blocked the light of the stars, growing in size as it moved towards the ship. It became clear to the Bombers that this was a ship, but of what kind, they couldn’t say for sure.

As the ship approached the airlock, the black mass began morphing, shifting from a featureless polygonal shape into one that was vaguely more humanoid.

“Is that-” Ultima stood up, not letting the hope grow on her heart yet.

As the morphing humanoid figure touched their foot into the escape pod bay, the black surrounding them absorbed into their body, revealing a four-eyed alien in skin tight black clothing.

And the figure was carrying an unconscious Dan in its’ arms.

The airlock doors closed behind him, making the glass that Ultima was leaning against open. The Bombers took out their blasters, pointing it at the newcomer. Ultima ran forward as the black clothed being knelt to lay Dan down on the ground.

Ultima pressed two fingers to the side of Dan’s neck,the weak fluttering of a heartbeat against her fingers. “He’s alive.” She sighed, looking up at the figure that had brought Dan in. With her mind at peace, she could clearly identify who had brought Dan back.

Four eyes stared back at her over a black mask, face betraying no emotion other than recognition.  

“Thank you.” She smiled in relief at the four eyed assassin. She bent down to pick up Dan’s unconscious body, hoisting his arm over her shoulders.

“You know this guy?” Arin asked.

“He was the assassin that spared me-on Seritutem.” She looked back at the assassin as he crossed his arms.

“Shit. Dan never told us that he was  best friends with a fucking Katorian.” Arin walked forward to help Ultima carry Dan, hoisting his other arm over his shoulder. “You lucky, lucky bastard.”


	25. Lost And Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katorians know more than they let on tbh

The scanner hummed softly as it moved over Dan’s unconscious body.

Ultima stood on the other side of the glass, separating her from the medical apparatus. Arin and her had only just deposited Dan onto the scanner, Arin and Barry in the process of flagging down a medical ship.

The Katorian hung out in the back, staring intensely at Ultima, eyes darting back from between her and Dan. She turned to the quadrocular assassin, a thousand questions on her mind.

“I’m guessing you’re Brian?” She asked.

Brian nodded, a short, nearly imperceptible movement.

“Dan told me about you and him. He said you used to be in a band together, back on Earth.” She elaborated.

Brian merely nodded again, directing his gaze back at Ultima. “We were.” He spoke into her head. “But after that Glendale show, we got separated. I couldn’t find him after the shift back to this time. The trail went cold.” He turned to look at Dan. “Even now, I can see him in your head. You’ve seen into multiple possible outcomes for his destiny.” Brian squinted at her. “You haven’t been honest with him. About what will happen once you bring all the goddesses together.”

Ultima sighed heavily, turning back to look at Dan. “I can’t bring myself to make him feel that pain.”

Dan jolted awake, sitting up. He gasped, trying to regain his breath. The scanner shut down, Ultima pushing it out of the way to grab Dan’s shoulders. “Dan! You’re okay! You’re okay!”

He stared at her in shock. “What happened? Why am I still alive?”

“Brian, Dan.” She helped him sit up, Brian stepping forward. “Brian  saved you.”

Dan sobbed, and took a few careful steps towards Brian. He hugged Brian tightly, the assassin clearly uneasy with the sign of affection. But he slowly wrapped his arms around Dan anyway.

Dan needed that.

—

The scanner’s results were troubling.

Dan’s body had been severely malnourished thanks to a diet high on simple sugars and breads. The marks on his face would fade with time. The horns, though, were a mystery in and of themselves.

“I don’t know how I’ll be able to help you remove them.” Ultima sighed, running her hand along Dan’s temples.

“Don’t hold yourself responsible for them. You-you had no idea.” Dan admitted.

“I just wish I could have caught it.” She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against his. “But future sight is no good when you can’t change it.”

“Ultima, you-you have to learn to forgive yourself about what’s already happened. You can’t…control what could have happened to me.” Dan tried to comfort her.

“Dan, you tried to kill yourself! You just launched yourself out into space, and…” She started crying, turning to hug him. “I shouldn’t be crying like this. You’re the one who needs the support.”

Dan rubbed her back. “Do you want me to sing to you again?”

She shook her head, closing her eyes. “I’m just so tired. I want to fall asleep, to just, stop thinking for a little.”

“Don’t try so hard.” He shrugged, pulling a couple blankets around them, cuddling up to Ultima. Hours later, when she thought that he’d fallen asleep, she cried silently. She pressed her ear up Dan’s chest, and found comfort in the steady sound of his heartbeat.

—

In the morning, Ultima and Dan went over the events of the last few weeks with Arin, recording everything down with Barry present as well.

“And that’s it. The horns, I don’t know about. But just get things back to routine.” Ultima sighed, reaching over to squeeze Dan’s hand.

“So, what drove First out was the mark?” Arin pointed to Dan’s neck.

“Yeah. I can’t explain it, but, First needed a body that was ‘pure’.” Ultima scoffed. “But whatever he-” Ultima blinked, clutching her chest.

“What is it?” Arin stood up, reaching out to help Ultima.

“It’s the next gem.” She stood up, ring running to the bridge, trying to find a window.

Her skin glowed with red, orange and yellow light, three lines of light coming from her hands, shooting out into space.

“Where do they lead, Barry?” Ultima asked, trying to figure out what she would have to face next.

“It’s on Raptilia…” Barry replied.

Arin tensed up, shaking his head. “No, no…”

“Terra’s moon.” Barry finished.


	26. Epilogue: The Demon's Allies (Making That Evil Call)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soundtrack: Delilah-Florence and the Machine

The First God flew through the cosmos, angry. 

So angry that his plans had been thwarted by that infernal Mark of the Paramour.

Love, that would always be his downfall. If not that, then losing his Vessel was the last step. He returned to the verdant planet, Raptilia. He wormed his way through a maze of hallways and medical examination rooms, passing through failed experiment after failed experiment.

He finally came upon the main office of Commander Sara, the lead Terran military official stationed on Raptilia, the small, verdant moon

Sara pulled a military grade blaster from her belt, pointing it at First as he materialized. “You’re back.” She reholstered the blaster, crossing her arms. “What information do you have for me?”

“Silence! I require a body!” First growled, pacing the room.

“What are you talking about?” Sara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“My old vessel was destroyed! Tainted! Tainted by that most vile thing, love!” He spat on the ground, staring at his feet angrily.

“Don’t dirty up my office. The Delilah Project has long since been abandoned after your little experiment failed. Some good your brainwashing techniques did me…” She shook her head bitterly.

First looked up, frowning. “That first soldier, the one who escaped…you’ve never been able to find him, have you?”

“Don’t remind me of my past mistakes unless you have some way of rectifying them.” Sara placed both hands on her desk, glancing at the small picture frame placed carefully beside a series of notes on botched attempts at cloning and genetic enhancement.

“I’ve found him. Arin Hanson. He’s allied himself with a very useful source of power.” First grinned, pacing in front of Commander Sara’s desk.

Sara looked back up at him. “I’m listening.”

“I can bring him to you. But I have a few conditions.”

“Name them.”

“I want a new vessel. I can provide the human with the right DNA for you to do so.” He glanced down at the notes scattered across Sara’s desk. “Your wife, Flora. She was on the right track with regards to this cloning process.” He leaned forward, staring intensely at Sara as Sara stared at the picture of Flora.

Sara blinked quickly, not willing to shed tears in front of First, one of her oldest allies. She stood back, crossing her arms. “Any ideas on how we’ll bring them in?”

First frowned, pacing the room once more. “Perhaps, one of your bionic medical agents.”

“They’re practically all gone. What’s your point?” She sighed.

“The trigger sound should still work. If you activate the tone on all of the bionics, then it’s only a matter of time before your wayward experiment finds his way back to Raptilia.”

Sara closed her eyes, trying to decide if this would all be worth it. If she could somehow bring Flora back…

She opened her eyes, looking down at the control panel on her desk. She tapped away at a few of the keys, activating the Delilah trigger. “It’s done.” Sara sighed heavily, hoping that this would all be worth it in the end. 


End file.
